Once Upon A December: Uzumaki Style!
by Queen Readalot
Summary: Faced with an ancient curse and memories that he never had of a family he never knew, along with some "special talents", will Naruto be able to continue being who he is, a ninja of the Leaf Village? AU, rated T for swearing, Naruto/Anastasia crossover.
1. Prologue

(A/N: Hi everybody! Yes, I know that I'm still working on a story, but I'm making another one now! It's just an idea that won't leave me alone. I've always loved the Disney movie Anastasia (great soundtrack too), and I was listening to "Once Upon a December" the other day and I thought, hey, wouldn't this be interesting mixed with Naruto? So I searched Naruto/Anastasia fics and there are NONE (gasps). So I'm making one. Soundtrack included! (well, the lyrics).

Now, I don't know whether this should be a crossover fic or a Naruto fic. It features only Naruto characters, but some concepts and all the songs are from Anastasia. So, I'm posting this as a Naruto fic, but if it should be in the crossover section then let me know and I'll repost it there.

Anyways, enough of my rambling. Read and enjoy!)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. If I did, he would have been made Hokage by now.

Once Upon a December: Uzumaki Style!

**Prologue:**

The remains of a battlefield spread over the distance.

The once-village had all but been abandoned. The blackened, neglected, houses lay in ruins, the greenery now slightly covering them the only signs of life in the whole place.

The Whirlpool Village had been great, yes. Their ninja had been well-known, their skills respected; but the shinobi of the Whirlpool Village were no more. They were simply stuff of legend now. Stories were always told of the brave ninja of the Whirlpool, of the incredible stamina, skill of sealing, and bright-red hair.

A lone figure walked through the ruins, eyes down and looking at the devastation. The eyes then looked up at the only building left standing. It was huge, the town's city center and the home of the leader of the village.

A whisper came from somewhere within the long, brown, tattered coat of the figure. "Master?" It whispered "Is it true they're gone? Did it work? Are the people of the Whirlpool village finally gone?"

The figure started slightly, then whispered back "No. One may think they are, but I am still here, which means that there is at least one of them that is still alive. And…" His eyes searched out the lone, standing building. "That is still standing. If that is still here, they are not truly gone. There is one of the royals still left, I am sure of it."

The other voice, the one within the confines of the cloak, rasped out again. "Are you sure, Master? Is this just a hunch, or are you completely sure that they are not completely gone?"

The figure looked from the building to the graying sky. "I'm absolutely sure." He snapped back. "I will seek out the survivor; I will seek him out, and make him pay. Then the curse will finally be complete, and I will finally have my revenge."

The figure turned around, and sparing one last glance down at the ruined village, walked away towards an unknown destination.

Neither the mysterious figure, nor his equally mysterious companion noticed the little music box on the ground, glinting slightly at the single beam of sunlight that hit its smooth, golden surface.

**TBC**

(**A/N**: What do you think? This is only the prologue, it'll continue on to the good stuff later, don't worry!

The next chapter should come out in a little more than a week, two weeks tops. After that, I'll be making weekly updates.

Anyways, please REVIEW! See you next time!)


	2. Chapter 1:Mission to the Whirlpool!

(**A/N:** Ok, chapter 1 is finally here! This is going to be fun to write…

And Naruto's "Special talents"? Yeah, not quite what you'd expect. Just saying he has something unexpected along with his other new skills. Remember, this is kinda half-musical, and I've pulled the songs from a Disney movie.

Thanks to **RasenShuriken92 **(love the name xD) and **KaliAnn** for reviewing!

Enjoy ! :D)

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Naruto, don't own Anastasia. If I did, I probably would have made this into a movie. But it isn't, so you can probably tell I'm just a very sad fan.

^^^indicates scene change^^^

Once Upon a December: Uzumaki Style!

Chapter 1: Mission to the Whirlpool!

Naruto Uzumaki woke up with a start.

He sat up, panting slightly, and stared at the door, trying to get his breath back.

The normally cheerful, sunny-haired thirteen-year-old was feeling uncharacteristically upset. He had a sick feeling in his stomach; he felt that something bad was going to happen very soon.

He stayed where he was for several minutes, before giving his head a small shake and reprimanding himself for being a scaredy-cat. He knew that dreams weren't real; he'd forgotten what he'd been dreaming about anyway. He remembered something about a music box, but that was about it.

Naruto got up to get ready for the day. All the while he felt a little off, but he dismissed it as paranoia, trying to block out that feeling that something was going to go wrong.

^^^**scene change**^^^

A few hours later, Naruto stood with his team in the Hokage's office. He'd met them like usual, smiling and laughing and being loud, but he suspected Kakashi could tell he was putting it on today from the suspicious glances he kept giving him. He really didn't know why he was so concerned, he'd had worse dreams than that before, but they never bothered him.

Tsunade shot him a look, and then cleared her throat. "Team 7." She said. "I've got an A-Rank for you today, so please do your best on this." She looked out at them and folded her arms so that her hands were resting beneath her chin. "A disturbance has surfaced in the Land of Whirlpools, and I want you four to check it out. You see, the Land of Whirlpools is in disarray at the moment. It lost its ninja village years ago, and since then the economy and political situation has fallen apart. They have also had a huge decrease in military strength, and that led to some countries wishing to invade them. Along with all that, it seems as though there have attacks on the current Feudal Lord from a group who wishes to take over."

"So," She continued "The Feudal Lord has requested our help on the matter. We agreed because we had close ties with their village. Your mission is to travel, incognito, to the Land of Whirlpools and try to stop this group from taking over."

Naruto blinked. "Eh?"

Tsunade sighed "Just go in and beat up the guys who are trying to take over the Land of Whirpools because they're in trouble. Got it?"

Naruto grinned. "Yup! Why didn't you just say that?"

Sakura face palmed, Kakashi sweat dropped, Sasuke shook his head and Tsunade sighed.

"Never mind." Tsunade muttered. "Seriously though," She added "This is a mission I would usually assign to much higher-ranking Jonin than you lot. The only reason I'm doing so is because Kakashi here has had some experience with the people of the Whirlpool. Another is that kids like you might make you look less conspicuous. Remember, the majority of this mission is of a reconnaissance type, the real fighting only happens at the end. If you need backup, just send me a message and I'll assign you a backup squad, alright? Bear in mind that you may very well be deciding the future of this country."

The Genin nodded, suddenly feeling a little overwhelmed.

Tsunade leaned back on her chair. "Well then, dismissed!" She barked, causing the little Genin to scurry over to the doorway and disappear to pack their bags. "You are to rendezvous in 10 minutes at the village gate!" She called at their retreating backs.

Kakashi had not moved. He had given the Hokage questioning glances throughout the entire mission briefing. "Hokage-sama," He said quietly "The reason you assigned my team to this mission wasn't just because of my experience, right? Because the only person I've ever met from Whirlpool has been dead for a while, and she lived in Konoha for most of her life. Plus, she never mentioned the ways of her village to me. Not even once"

"In fact," He continued "I don't think I'm the reason that you chose this team. You chose it because of Naruto, right?"

Tsunade smiled "Quick as ever, Kakashi." She commended.

Kakashi frowned. "I don't mean to offend you, Hokage-sama." He said "But I don't agree with you. Naruto is simply not ready for this. He doesn't know a thing about his heritage, and I don't know how his people will react to him and who he is."

Tsunade looked grave "I know." She said. "I am gambling something in sending him on this mission. My advice is to keep his last name secret at all costs, and only if it seems that revealing his heritage will be crucial to this mission, then do so."

Kakashi looked ready to argue "But…"

Tsunade glowered up at him. "My decision is final, Kakashi." She growled. "I trust Naruto, and I trust you. I know you will complete this mission successfully. You also must be aware that Naruto will have to find out about his parents sooner or later, and if he must know now, it's best to start off with his mother's side of the family right?"

Kakashi looked down. "I still don't know if…"

Tsunade jerked her head at him sharply. "You know Naruto would want to help them, right?" She said. "They're as much his people as we are."

Kakashi was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Alright, Hokage-sama. I understand. We will do our best in carrying out our mission."

"That's good. Trust in Naruto, Kakashi. He has a good head on his shoulders at the best of times, he'll understand if he finds out."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

And Kakashi left to meet his team on the bridge. Two hours late, of course.

^^^**scene change**^^^

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke waited by the gate. Sakura was fuming, Sasuke was brooding quietly, and Naruto was staring off into space.

"Kakashi-sensei is late again." He remarked.

"Well, yeah!" Sakura said, turning on him. "Have you just noticed? It's been two hours!"

"Has it?" Naruto asked, eyes widening. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't notice."

Sasuke glanced at his teammate. "What's up, loser?"

"Huh?"

"Don't look so confused." Sasuke stated calmly. "You've been really quiet, and you're a bit detached from the world. So, what's up?"

Naruto looked stunned for a second. Then he lowered his eyes, and clutched his hands together. Sasuke noted with some surprise that he seemed nervous, scared even.

This put him on his guard. Naruto wasn't frightened easily.

Naruto looked up, and started to speak. "Well, I…"

"Yo! Sorry I'm late!"

Apparently, Kakashi had the worse sense of timing in the world. Sasuke resolved to give a good kick later.

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!" Screeched Sakura "YOU'RE LATE!"

Kakashi looked sheepish "Sorry, I had a couple of things to take care of…"

"ZIP IT!" Sakura yelled "YOU NO-GOOD, LYING….Oh. Hello, Hokage-sama."

Tsuande looked amused. "Hello, Sakura." She turned to the rest of the group. "Now, you know your mission? I forgot to warn you about something, though…"

All three (four, even though Kakashi denied it) listened with interest.

"The people of the Whirlpool have rather…interesting personalities. Their customs and way of life may seem strange to you, but you'll get used to it."

Naruto looked confused. "What kind of customs?"

Tsunade chuckled knowingly. "You'll understand when you get there."

The three Genin gave each other sidelong glances.

They suddenly wondered what exactly they had gotten themselves into.

TBC

(**A/N**: Well? Is it getting good? I'd originally slated this chapter to be released next week, but I found I had a little more time on my hands than I thought, and got it finished for today. So, the next chapter will be out in a week or so.

Don't worry; you'll understand the "customs" and all that next chapter. I've got it all planned out. :D

Anyways, REVIEW! See you next time! )


	3. Chapter 2: A Rumor in Uzu no Kuni

(**A/N**: Hi! I was able to get Internet access where I am now, so this story continues! For everyone following "Naruto Drabbles and Short Stories", I'm sorry but I can't continue that one until I get back, because I wasn't able to bring the document that contains the next chapter, which I'm working on. It'll be out next week.

First song in the story will be in this chapter! Hope you like it. "Uzu no Kuni" means Land of Whirlpools , and "Uzushi" is part of "Uzushiogakure" which means the Whirlpool Village for those who don't know.

Thanks to **Outsideshotkb**, **KaliAnn, **and **crazyshady666 **for reviewing!

Enjoy :D)

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto or Anastasia. If I owned Naruto, I would be very rich. If I owned Anastasia, I would be very rich. I am not very rich, so I don't own either. I don't own the song "A Rumor in St Petersburg" either. I've changed the lyrics slightly as well.

^^^Indicates scene change^^^

_Italics _indicate singing.

Once Upon a December: Uzumaki Style!

Chapter 2: A Rumor In Uzu no Kuni

The journey to the Land of Whirlpools was relatively quiet. It was enough it put any sane ninja on their guard, because a quiet journey usually heralded a chaotic mission. Tsunade's parting words contributed to this effect. Nauto, Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi were all naturally curious about the people of the Whirlpool, but it wasn't until they got there til they realized the bizarreness of their ways.

The people of the Whirlpool were very musical, to put it simply. They didn't _say _things, the _sung _them. They sung about absolutely everything.

They had entered the capital, where their mission was to take place, when they figured it out. They walked in, and heard someone start to sing:

"_Uzu no Kuni is gloomy_"

A woman across the road continued _"Uzu no Kuni is bleak"_

Another man complained _"My underwear has frozen standing here all week."_

Then everyone in the immediate vicinity continued _"But since we lost our ninja, our lives have been so gray…"_

"What in the world…" Sakura muttered. Sasuke was openly staring, Naruto wide-eyes, and Kakashi was holding back laughter. Which was strange, because Kakashi almost never laughed. Not at things like this, anyway.

"_Thank goodness for the gossip, that gets us through the day. Hey!_

"_Have you heard, there's a rumor in Uzu no Kuni_

_Have you heard, what they're saying on the street?"_

A man to their right whispered to his friend _"Although the royals did not survive, one daughter may be still alive."_

Kakashi suddenly stiffened. Uh-oh.

"_The Princess Kushina.."_

"_But please do not repeat"_

Kakashi hurriedly pulled his students away from where they were standing. He didn't know Kushina was royalty here, but there it was. He had been amused when they had entered, because he now understood why Kushina would break out into song so much. He wasn't so amused now, because even though Kushina's mysterious past was finally revealed, it would be harder than ever to keep Naruto's identity secret. Especially from Naruto himself, because despite what Tsunade said he still wasn't sure Naruto was ready for this revelation. Or was it just him who was scared, scared that he would have to tell Naruto everything?

"_It's a rumor, a legend, a mystery…"_

Damn. Kakashi rounded another corner, pulling his protesting students with him.

"_Something whispered in an alleyway or through a crack._

_It's a rumor that's part of our history"_

Did Tsunade know Kushina was royalty, and sent him here to mess with him? Kakashi didn't know, and he really didn't appreciate the joke.

"_They say our Feudal Lord has brought forth a rule,_

_The next Uzumaki shall rebuild Uzushi!"_

Double damn! Kakashi quickly pulled his students away again, making sure that Naruto hadn't caught that last part.

His team turned into another alley. They were getting close to the Feudal Lord's place, they were nearly there now…

"_A ryo for this painting. It's Uzumaki, I swear."_

Naruto turned. "What?"

"Not interested!" Kakashi barked (yelped) out. He grabbed Naruto's shoulder and walked away.

"But Kakashi-sensei, he said…"

"Never mind that, I'll tell you later."

"_Princess Kushina's earrings, comrades buy the pair."_

"_I got this from their mansion. It's lined with real fur."_

"_It could be worth a fortune if it belonged to __**her**__"_

The team and their slightly ruffled sensei made it to the street leading up to the big building in the center of the city. Kakashi was the only one who heard the two behind them…

"_It's the rumor, the legend, the mystery._

"_It's the Uzumaki who will help us fly._

"_You and I friend will go down in history._

"_We'll find one to play the part, and teach them what to say_

"_Dress them up and take him to the Lord._

"_Imagine, we could be the rulers of a whole new village today_

"_Who else could pull it off but you and me?_

"_We'll be rich!"_

"_We'll be rich!"_

"_We'll be out!"_

"_We'll be out!"_

"_And Uzu no Kuni will have some more to talk about."_

Kakashi did not like what he had just heard. He would have to keep an eye out for things like this.

They were now on the road, heading for the main building. Suddenly, what seemed to be the whole city gathered on the street and started to **dance**…

"Oh, God no." Kakashi moaned. His students just started to giggle at this.

"_Have you heard, there's a rumor in Uzu no Kuni_

"_Have you heard, what they're saying on the streets_

"_Hey! Hey!_

"_Have you heard, there's a rumor in Uzu no Kuni_

"_Have you heard, Comrades what do you suppose?_

"_A fascinating mystery."_

One of the two from before piped up. _"The biggest con in history!"_

Kakashi gave him a death glare. The guy backed up immediately, and tripped over his friend.

"_The Princess Kushina…"_

They weren't done yet? Kakashi rushed his students through the crowd as fast as he could go.

"_Alive or dead?"_

"Dead." Kakashi thought. "She's dead. Can you stop now?"

A random window washer ("A window washer!" Kakashi thought incredulously. Seriously?) said in a whisper _"Who knows? Shh.."_

Kakashi decided he liked this guy after all.

After he had finished that thought, the music stopped, and the whole population of Uzu no Kuni resumed their normal lives like nothing had happened.

Kakashi could only be thankful that they weren't wearing their ninja uniforms, as the Uzumaki symbol on the back would have caused a riot.

^^^**Scene change**^^^

A very disgruntled Kakashi ushered a giggling Sakura, a disgusted Sasuke, and a Naruto that was asking endless questions into the office of the Feudal Lord.

The Feudal Lord stood up and greeted them warmly. "Hello, ninja of Konoha! Welcome to Uzu no Kuni! I suppose you have already been welcomed by our people?"

"I'll say." Kakashi said in a slightly annoyed tone. Very slightly.

"Well, our ways are considered strange by many. We are a very musical people, it's said nobody can carry a tune like the people of Uzu no Kuni."

The Feudal Lord continued "And there is a rumor going around, so the people are especially musical nowadays, the feel they have reason to hope." He frowned. "You see…"

Kakashi cut in quickly with a "Yes Lord-dono. We heard. Now, may we have our mission briefing?"

^^^**Scene change**^^^

After having their mission described to them in greater detail, Naruto caught up with Kakashi on the way to their rooms.

"Kakashi-sensei?" He asked hesitantly. "When they were singing out there, they said something about the Uzumaki, and…"

Kakashi cut in. "I'm sorry Naruto, I'm sleep, I'll tell you tomorrow. There is an explanation to all this, don't worry."

Kakashi reached his room and closed the door quickly in Naruto's face.

He leaned against the door.

What would he do?

Outside his door, Naruto was looking down at his feet, his bangs covering his face.

The feeling he'd had since that morning had intensified.

He'd enjoyed watching the people of the Whirlpool. He liked their personalities, and he felt some sort of connection to them. But there was something underneath that, something slightly sinister, something that brought up a strange feeling of déjà vu. It was almost as if there was something at the back of his mind that was itching to come out.

Naruto suddenly had a very bad feeling about this.

(**A/N**: Getting interesting, huh? I hope that was good enough for you. I loved including Kakashi in the song, that was fun. :)

Anyways, please REVIEW! See you next time!)


	4. Chapter 3: Journey to the Past

(**A/N**: Here's chapter 3. Another song will be featured here, and Naruto is getting a tad suspicious. Sasuke and Sakura are understandably confused, and Kakashi is probably gonna have a panic attack …xD

Anyways, I am pretty surprised at the popularity of this story, didn't expect it to be this well-received. At the moment, I have over 1,000 hits! YAY! :D I guess this story is continuing.

Thanks to everyone who favorited this story, and a big thanks **RasenShuriken92** and **KaliAnn** for reviewing! Review responses are at the end. Also, imaginary cookies to whoever guesses where I got the last names for Sakura and Sasuke that I used here! :)

OK, on with the story!)

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto or Anastasia. I wish I did, I would definitely keep Naruto alive (Don't kill him, PLEASE Masashi Kishimoto! These latest chapters are pretty worrying.) I don't own the song "Journey to the Past" either.

^^^Indicates scene change^^^

_Italics _indicate singing.

Once Upon a December: Uzumaki Style!

Chapter 3: Journey to the Past

The next morning saw Team 7 in different parts of the capital. Each was travelling, incognito, to begin day one of their mission.

Sakura was sent to the north side of the city. She was going by the name of "Sakura Ayuzawa" and had dyed her hair red.

Sasuke was scouting the west side of the city. He took the name of "Sasuke Takashima" and had dyed his hair red as well. Kakashi had said it would "hide the Uchiha look."

Kakashi himself was in the south end of the city. He was now "Kakashi Inamouto", and he refused to change his hair color, which caused for a lot of grumbling. His genius response to Naruto's queries when they'd rendezvoused that morning was "The clan name for the head ninja of what was once the Whirlpool village was Uzumaki. Well, isn't that a coincidence?" To Kakashi's surprise, Naruto accepted that answer without complaint. He didn't know whether he should feel relieved or worried.

Naruto had been sent to the east end of the city. Kakashi had insisted that he should be called "Naruto Namikaze". He didn't elaborate on why when Naruto asked why, saying that "it fit". He didn't dye his hair either, as Kakashi had said that "You're disguised enough". It was like he wanted him to look as different from these people as he could!

They had decided to meet up near the center of the city and report their findings. The Feudal Lord had told them that a group wanted to overthrow him and take his place, but he didn't know who their leader was. They had already attacked him a few times, only being defeated narrowly by his bodyguards. And, according to the guards themselves, it was getting harder each time. This part of the mission was gathering information on this group. They then were to apprehend them and bring a stop to their attacks.

It was possibly the biggest mission Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto had ever been on. They knew that it would be tough, but each resolved that they would do their best.

^^^**Scene change**^^^

Sakura was walking around the north side of the city, looking around furtively. This was obviously the well-off side of the capital, there were a lot of big houses and clean facilities here.

They still sang, though. Sakura really did not want to participate in that, so when they started, she quickly ducked into the nearest clothing store.

The first thing that ran in her mind when she entered was "Red!"

Almost everything in the store was red. Red shirts, shorts, pants, skirts, socks, dresses, and even red underwear! Now, Sakura usually didn't mind red clothing. She wore red herself most of the time; it was her favorite color along with pink. This, however, was a bit much. Apparently, the people of Uzu no Kuni liked the color red. Sakura filed that tidbit of information away as she browsed the store, thinking that it might come in handy later. If not, then she knew what was popular fashion in Uzu no Kuni. Wouldn't that be something to rub in Ino's face!

Luckily for her, the shopkeeper was quite talkative. She learnt a lot about the culture of the Land of Whirlpools just by listening. A good ninja could pick up information by merely listening and analyzing the words in a conversation.

She heard a lot about the current gossips and scandals going on in the country. She heard legends of their ninja, and learnt with some surprise that the lead clan had been the Uzumaki clan. Sakura instantly added that to her mental file.

Along with all the rumors, she also found out that some people were not happy with the current situation of their country. She even got a list of names that might be involved in the attempted coup d'état, and some that might support it. All this instantly got transmitted to her ever-growing mental file.

Sakura also discovered that majority of the people wanted their ninja village back. And, if their current situation was anything to judge by, she could tell they needed one.

^^^**Scene change**^^^

Sasuke Uchiha marched down the street on the west side of town. Unfortunately for him, this section of the city had all the schools, malls, hair salons, and other social establishments. This resulted in a lot of singing. A lot of very happy singing.

Sasuke's eyes twitched as yet another class of five year olds burst out into song. It might be cute for some people, but it was annoying as hell for him.

It was enough that he had to dye his hair red and to change his name. Now, he felt like if he had to hear another song again, he would possibly blow their cover. He didn't think he would ever get used to this, despite Tsunade's assurances.

The hairdressers began to break out into chorus. Sasuke's eye twitched again. He was dangerously close to snapping. He ducked into the closest store as fast as he could go.

He turned around and let out a small sigh of relief. He'd entered a tiny, dark store that had no singing coming from the small windows that barely let in any light. The sign on the front of the store said "Myths and Legends: A Collection". It was kind of like a museum, with books lining shelves from top to bottom, along with a collection of strange items in glass cases. The whole room was lined with black wallpaper, and there was a very old man sitting at a counter near the back corner of the store.

The old man looked up as Sasuke entered. "Hello." He said. "Have you come here to escape the noise outside? It can get quite overwhelming at times."

Sasuke nodded. Finally, there was someone relatively sane in this place!

The old man noted his expression and gave a light chuckle. "Yes, I thought so." He pulled out a dusty book. "Sit down, will you? They may be some time out there."

Sasuke shuddered. He could still hear the hairdressers outside. He sat down.

The old man rifled through the big book, looking down thoughtfully as he scanned the pages. "Would you like to hear some legends about this place?" He asked without looking up. "It's what I specialize in. And believe me, not everything about Uzu no Kuni is flowers and sunshine. You've heard the recent rumors, haven't you?"

Sasuke nodded. He knew this could possibly be a big opportunity to learn something about what was going on.

Plus, he really did not want to go back outside.

So the old man told him stories. Chilling tales of ghosts, demons and their Jinchuuriki and monsters, legends of kings and princes, and stories of places he'd never even heard of.

To Sasuke's delight, the old man specialized in myths from all over the world, including the Land of Fire. So Sasuke even got to hear stories he already knew, like the tale of the Sanin, and the legendary battle of the Fourth Hokage and the Nine tailed demon fox, the Kyuubi no Kitsune. The old man believed that the fox was indeed not dead, but alive somewhere, imprisoned by the Fourth and waiting for the right moment to escape.

The old man pushed back his glasses. "Now, here's my favorite one." He cleared his throat. "This is one from our very own Uzu no Kuni." He turned to Sasuke, "Have you ever heard the story of Rasputin?"

Sasuke shook his head. The old man frowned. "What? Really? What have your parents been telling you, child? Well, I guess I'll have to start from the beginning. Have you heard about the recent attacks on our Feudal Lord?"

Sasuke nodded. He'd completely forgotten he was on a mission. Typical, tell him a couple of stories and he completely forgets everything. He'd always been like that. Well, now he had a chance to actually get some information.

The old man sat up straighter. "Well," He began. "Many years ago, when we had a ninja village of our own, the ruling clan and the most influential family in the land were the Uzumaki."

Sasuke drew in a quick breath. He'd heard Naruto's last name mentioned before when they first entered the village, and he now had an answer to his suspicions. It seemed that Naruto was not originally from Konoha after all.

"The Uzumaki were good people. They were naturally happy, and had incredible stamina and longevity. They were masters of fuuinjutsu, and had the fiery red hair and equally fiery temper that the people of the Land of Whirlpools possessed. They ruled their village with strength and compassion, and they were loved by many. That is, until Rasputin."

The old man took a breath before continuing. "Rasputin was a village elder. He wasn't an Uzumaki, yet he was an extremely powerful ninja. He used to be very influential to the major decisions made in the village. But then, the clan head at the time decided that he was becoming too powerful, and he didn't like the way Rasputin ran things. It was discovered some time later that he was planning a coup, and the clan head cast him out."

"Rasputin was enraged, and laid a curse on the Uzumaki clan. He swore that each and every one would be destroyed, and that he would watch every single one die in agony and solitude."

The old man's voice dropped to a whisper. "That same night, a series of internal conflicts broke out all over the country. A while later, the Great Shinobi Wars began. With all the internal and external fighting, the village began to fall apart, and was eventually destroyed utterly. The clan head and last leader of the Whirlpool Village died in agony at the hands of his enemies, and the Uzumaki were wiped out."

The old man took a breath and continued. "There is only one that is unaccounted for, and that is Kushina Uzumaki, the only child and heir of the last clan head. She disappeared on the night of the curse. She was only a little girl at the time."

Sasuke was looking down at his shoes. He knew very well how clan exterminations felt. "And is she still alive? Are you sure all the Uzumaki are wiped out?"

The old man smiled. "That's the question, isn't it? Did The Princess Kushina really die? Or did she survive, and continue the line of the Uzumaki? Nobody knows."

Sasuke looked up. "And Rasputin? What about him?"

The old man shrugged. "Nobody knows about him either. He disappeared right after he cursed the Uzumaki. But there are more rumors circulating, that he didn't die, that he's behind this coup d'état. That the Princess Kushina is still alive, and he's still alive too, looking to destroy the last of the Uzumaki."

Silence.

The old man chuckled and leaned back in his chair. "I think they've stopped singing." He gestured outside. "It's safe to leave."

Sasuke nodded, slightly dazed, and got up to leave.

He turned to the old man. "Thank you very much."

The old man chuckled. "No problem. But come back sometime, won't you? This place drives me crazy sometimes."

Sasuke nodded. "I'll bring friends."

He turned around and left, closing the door behind him.

^^^**Scene change**^^^

"Rasputin?" Kakashi asked, raising an eyebrow.

He was in the south side of town. That was the poorest place in the city, but it sure didn't look it in most places. The people here were naturally cheerful. There was just as much singing here as there was in the section near the Feudal Lord's place.

That was good, Kakashi supposed, but it was too much noise for him. So, he looked for the shadiest bar in town and started his investigation there.

He'd gotten some information on the history of the place and some things about the attacks, but it wasn't until he talked to some of the singers that he learned something useful. Who knew?

They'd told him some rumors, and some of the speculation that aroused through the attacks and attempted coups. Some of the population supposed that this "Rasputin" was behind everything. Kakashi didn't know what to think about that. He supposed it was possible, Rasputin being a ninja, but that was quite a while ago. Anyway, Kakashi found his motives a bit strange. He supposed this needed looking into. He needed Rasputin's full story.

So, he asked around some more. People here were pretty helpful, he found out, and gave information away pretty freely. He learnt more about Rasputin's connection to the Uzumaki, how he worked for them, and how he "cursed" them. Kakashi didn't believe that for a second. He was a practical guy, and he was a ninja. So there had to be an explanation behind this.

And Kakashi was going to find out what that was.

^^^**Scene change**^^^

Naruto walked down an empty road in the east side of town. The east said was a peaceful place, it was full of gardens and trees, and it was home of yoga centers and senior homes, and was a relatively tranquil place.

Naruto was bored.

He honestly didn't think he'd be able to get much information here. They were too quiet in this section of the city.

All thoughts of the mission flew out of this mind when he saw a ramen stand. Naruto rushed over, put on his cheesiest grin and said "One miso ramen please!"

The elderly stand owner chuckled. "Sure thing. Take a seat."

Naruto sat down on a stool, hopping up and down excitedly.

When the ramen was finished, the stand owner stood and watched as Naruto consumed his first bowl with gusto. "Wow, kid." He commented. "You sure do love your ramen."

Naruto nodded, his mouth full of noodles.

The stand owner leaned back on the wall of his store. "So, why haven't I seen you around before?"

Naruto swallowed his ramen before speaking. "I don't get out much." He said carefully. "But I love ramen, so I'll try to come here a lot more often!" He was planning on coming back. Definitely.

The store owner sighed. "You seem like a happy kid. That's good. We really need to keep our spirits up in times like this."

Naruto nodded. "Yup!" He agreed.

The ramen stand owner looked off into the distance. "I remember a time when we had a ninja village, when we weren't fighting amongst ourselves. We were mainly ruled by both the Feudal Lord and the Uzumaki clan. Good people, the Uzumaki."

Naruto froze. He'd accepted Kakashi's answer before, but it still felt weird, like they were talking about him. And he had to be distantly related to them at least, right?

How would he know anyway? He knew nothing about his heritage. He remembered asking the Third Hokage about his parents a very long time ago. The Third had only smiled and said "I'll tell you when you're older". But now he was dead, and there was no one to tell Naruto about his past. Naruto knew that, but he still wanted to figure this out.

Naruto then gave himself a personal mission. He would find out who he was. And this was a good place to start. Maybe he could scrape up a few clues, using the last name "Uzumaki".

So, he asked the ramen stand owner to tell him a few stories about the Uzumaki. The stand owner seemed happy to do so, and told him the basic details. When he mentioned the curse, Naruto got a sudden image of a burning city. He saw a freaky looking guy standing near the middle, tall and pale, with a greenish tinge to his skin and a face kind of like a skull. Naruto had no idea where that had come from.

The ramen stand owner also told him that there was a library nearby, so he could go research whatever he wanted to know and find out. Figures, the library would be situated in the quieter part of town.

Naruto couldn't wait; it was a good opportunity to find some information on both his own personal mission and his official one. Even though he didn't like reading very much, he was totally psyched! He was kind of nervous too, though. Getting a lead on a family you never knew can to that to you.

He couldn't help himself; as he was walking towards the library, he heard the music start up. So he started to sing, he belted out everything at the top of his voice.

"_Heart don't fail me now, courage don't desert me,_

"_Don't turn back, now that we're here."_

"_People always say life is full of choices,_

"_No one ever mentions fear."_

Naruto had attracted a small crowd by now. They were simply listening. The music continued to play.

"_Or how the world can seem so vast,_

"_On a journey to the past."_

He honestly didn't know where the words were coming from. They just seemed..right. And too his surprise, he didn't sound half bad.

"_Somewhere down this road, I know someone's waiting_

"_Years of dream just can't be wrong."_

They couldn't be, Naruto was sure of it.

"_Arms will open wide; I'll be safe and wanted_

"_Finally home where I belong!"_

Where had **that** come from? He had already had a home!

"_Well, starting now I'm learning fast!_

"_On this journey to the past."_

Wow. He hadn't known he could hold a note for that long.

His tone then took on a more nostalgic feel.

"_Home, love, family._

"_There was once a time I must have had them too."_

"_Home, love, family._

"_I will never be complete until I find you!"_

He had the Leaf village, he assumed. It just wasn't the same, though.

"_One step at a time, one hope then another,_

"_Who knows where this road may go?"_

Good question.

"_Back to who I was, I'm to find my future,_

"_Things my heart still needs to know!"_

True, he felt like he couldn't really have a future without knowing his past. Anyway, he really needed to know this.

"_Yes, let this be a sign! Let this road be mine!_

"_Let it lead me to my past!"_

"_And bring me home at last!"_

Naruto held that last note for a while. The music went into a crescendo and then finished off. The man at the music store waved, and then resumed his work.

The crowd applauded, hooting and waving. Naruto blushed a little, he'd had no idea where that had come from, but he knew that he liked it. He waved back, basking in the attention. He decided that he really did like it here.

Suddenly, unbidden, another half-memory came to his mind. Long red hair and an empty , deserted room. A figure bent down the middle, slamming his palm into the center of room. Light burst out from everywhere, and the vision ended.

Naruto staggered back, and then raced in the direction of the library, away from the crowd.

Ok, now where had that come from? Kyuubi, maybe? This was starting to worry him a little. He felt like another part of him was surfacing, something that had remained dormant for years.

A little overwhelmed, Naruto continued his march to the library.

^^^**Scene change**^^^

Far away, a skeletal man sat in a large armchair by a fire. He seemed to be in deep thought.

A back bird swooped in through the open window. It settled next to the man, and stuck out its leg, which had a slip of paper attached to it.

The man took it off, read it, and gave a small chuckle.

"So," He rasped. "They've brought Konoha shinobi? And one…" He narrowed his eyes. "One is the one I've been seeking. Interesting."

He looked up the sky. "Naruto Uzumaki. Kushina's, I presume? I need to find out more. But I've finally flushed him out. It's all gone according to plan. Well done, my minion, for discovering this." He started writing furiously on a piece of paper.

The crow looked at him and gave a baleful caw.

The man attached the paper to the crow's leg. "Yes, report this back to him. Go now."

The crow took off into the night, still cawing.

The skeletal man stared after it for a few seconds, and then sat back down in his armchair in front of the fire.

This time, he was smirking.

"Naruto Uzumaki, huh?"

(**A/N**: Gah! I have a horrible feeling that this chapter sucked. Oh well, it's the longest I've written so I hope it turned out ok.

Things are finally surfacing. Yay! Naruto is finally getting clues and such. Poor guy, he doesn't have any idea what is going on.

Anyways, please REVIEW!

**Review Responses:**

**RasenShuriken92: **Thanks, and I'll keep 'em coming! Enjoy! :D

**KaliAnn: **Writing them with music was quite fun. Naruto's curiosity is adorable, don't you think? I hope I've kept him in character, I have a horrible feeling he's OOC. Also, Leaf Ninja putting on the swan princess? Wow, that's pretty funny. I would read that, do you have it posted on this site?

See you all next time!)


	5. Chapter 4: Once Upon A December

(**A/N**: Sorry it took so long to post this next one; I've been busy! But it's here, and I'm excited to continue.

This chapter has the biggest scene in the whole story. It was inspired by the song, after all. These chapters are progressively getting longer, so yeah.

Big thanks to **Dream-Fighter-1556**, **RasenShuriken92**, **JoshRand1982**, **crazyshady666**,** Amber Ice Fox, serin2, KaliAnn **and **Vanex **for reviewing! I really appreciate it.

Enjoy!)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto or Anastasia. If I did own Naruto, I would just bring Sasuke back already. I don't own the song "Once Upon a December" either.

^^^Indicates scene change^^^

_Italics _indicate singing

Once Upon a December: Uzumaki Style!

Chapter4: Once Upon a December

Team 7 rendezvoused in the middle of the city a few hours later. Kakashi pulled up a chair in a nearby café and motioned for everyone to sit down.

"He's actually on time." Naruto whispered to Sasuke.

Kakashi chose to ignore that. "Ok." He began. "Let's hear what you all found out! Sakura goes first."

Sakura sat up straighter. "Yes, Sensei!" She chirped. "I have found out that some citizens in this city welcome and support the latest attacks." She rattled off a list of names. "I also found out that the lead clan in the area was…"

"The Uzumaki?" Sasuke interrupted, raising an eyebrow.

Silence.

"Wow, Sasuke." Naruto muttered. "You're actually talking when you don't have too." His eyes widened. "And you interrupted Sakura-chan!"

Sakura sighed. "I guess that's the end of my report." She said. "I didn't really find out anything else interesting. You can start, Sasuke!"

Sasuke snorted and turned his head away. "Whatever. That's what I was going to do anyway. The Uzumaki were apparently the leaders of the Whirlpool Village. They were wiped out a while ago by a man called…"

"Rasputin?" Kakashi asked.

Sasuke leaned back on his chair. "You continue the report, Kakashi. You obviously know a lot about the guy."

Kakashi ignored Sasuke's sarcasm and continued. "Rasputin was said to have 'cursed' the Uzumaki after they cast him out of the village. I doubt this, really. We should be searching for real, solid information than chasing clues about a rumor." He paused. "It may have some basis, though. It is good to know all the facts, even if they may be derived from legend."

He turned to Naruto. "Did you find out anything interesting?"

Naruto shrugged. "Not really." He said sadly. His investigation at the library had been fruitless. "I just found out about this Rasputin dude, and that the Princess Kushina disappeared. They don't know where she went, and they still don't." His eyes widened suddenly, like he'd just realized something. "They were cursed? It didn't say that in any of the books!"

Kakashi opened his mouth to answer, but Sasuke beat him to it.

"Yes." He said softly. "The whole clan was exterminated."

Sasuke looked up at Naruto for a second, who didn't look like he'd quite put two and two together yet.

"Naruto...?" He started to ask, when an explosion interrupted his words.

Kakashi leapt up. "The Feudal Lord! Quickly, we have to get to where he is!"

He cursed himself silently. This was a rookie mistake; you should never leave a client without protection. He'd messed up on one of the most basic rules of a mission.

He ran to the direction of the city center, his three Genin right behind him.

**^^^Scene change^^^**

When the Leaf ninja arrived at the scene, they leapt right into action. It was total chaos, there were people running everywhere, screaming and crying. The front section of the Feudal Lord's palace was in flames, and smoke was curling off the building in waves.

Despite the chaos, all four ninja kept their heads. They were trained for this kind of situation. So, Kakashi set Sakura the task of sorting out the panicked civilians below. He figured she would be the best at this type of thing. She didn't complain, and immediately went to work. Kakashi beckoned the two boys forward and continued.

When they reached the Feudal Lord's palace, Kakashi brought his hands together in a series of hand signs.

"Water dragon jutsu!"

A huge , serpentine figure formed from the water in a nearby fountain and splashed the front of the building. The fire died out, and the ninja rushed in. "Awesome!" Naruto shrieked from behind them. "You have **got **to teach me that one!"

When Kakashi, Sasuke and Naruto reached the office the Feudal Lord had seen them in (He was a working type.) they saw him being held at kunai-point against a wall. Above him towered an enormous ninja, wearing strange-looking armor. The ninja turned to the three ninja, and Naruto let out an involuntary gasp. The ninja's face was green, and his maniacal smile was stretched wide against his face, giving him the look of a nauseated skull.

"Hello, Leaf shinobi. Are you prepared?"

A cackle sounded from above. The three leaf ninja looked up to see two more figures above. One was female, purple-haired and petite, and the other was a tall, skinny platinum blond male. All had the green faces, weird armor and crazy smiles.

"Are you prepared?" The first one asked again.

Without giving any of their foes a chance to respond, or take in what they were seeing, the three skeletal ninja attacked, still wearing the maniac smile.

**^^^Scene change^^^**

Naruto never quite remembered the following battle. He had a vague recollection of Kakashi fighting all three rouge-nin at once before he and Sasuke managed to regain their senses.

He remembered Sakura coming in a while later and helping them out. He remembered Sasuke saving the Feudal Lord from the purple-haired ninja. He remembered himself making thousands of clones before realizing that the fight had been moved outside without him noticing, and he could therefore fit them all.

The battle had been exhausting, and for him that was saying something. That armor the three ninja were wearing were chakra-draining, and his fighting style depended on close range combat. That was really bad, because every time an attack of his failed to connect to a weak point, he'd lose chakra. He'd make hundreds of clones, and then start over. There were rasengans going off all over the place, millions of shuriken blasting around, and even more kage bunshin flying everywhere. It was total chaos.

What made the battle so exhausting wasn't just the armor, it was the ninja themselves. They were exceptionally skilled, and they didn't get tired. It was freaky, Naruto thought, how they didn't flinch when they got injured, and how they didn't exhibit the slightest sign of fatigue after fighting for four straight hours. Sakura had been collapsing, Sasuke was drenched in sweat, and Kakashi-sensei was panting hard. Naruto gained a new sense of respect for his sensei during that battle. Kakashi really was an amazing ninja. He was anticipating every move, almost before the enemy themselves could come up with them. His sharingan was on and blazing red, and he was fighting non-stop.

Sasuke also had his sharingan on, and Naruto had to admit that he was doing really well. Sakura was too, he'd never seen her fight for so long. He himself was doing ok, mainly because he wasn't as exhausted as the other three. He was being thrown around the most, and he knew that he would eventually have to use the Kyuubi. He really didn't want to resort to that just yet, so he just kept on fighting.

It had all passed in a blur, and Naruto was too preoccupied in the fighting to notice that they were being led further and further away from the capital. He didn't notice a thing until the three ninja suddenly regrouped in the middle of the battlefield. They smashed their palms into a large circle made of ink that they had been lured into. Naruto began to move, but he was engulfed in a flash of white light, and everything disappeared.

**^^^Scene change^^^**

The world righted itself a few seconds later. Naruto stood up with a gasp, his legs shaking slightly. He felt like he'd been forcibly pulled through a very narrow tube with hooks. He stared up at the landscape around him, and gave a gasp that echoed throughout it.

He was in the remains of a village. There were burnt and blackened houses everywhere, and it stretched on for miles. There was so much destruction that Naruto could only stare, his eyes searching then locking onto the only building that remained standing. It was big and intimidating, and he was standing right in front of it.

A stirring to his right interrupted his silence. Unable to keep still for long, Naruto turned to see Kakashi-sensei stand up shakily next to him. "What…?" Kakashi-sensei exclaimed softly. Then his eyes widened. "A reverse summoning? That's impossible! How did they…?"

Naruto was going to ask what he was talking about before being interrupted by the rousing of Sasuke, then Sakura. Both were as confused as he was.

Having had just about enough, Naruto said loudly "Where are we, sensei? How did we get here? Where are those other guys? Why'd they bring us here?"

Kakashi held up a hand to stem the flow of questions. "Whoa, calm down. If we relax and think, we'll get some answers."

Naruto gave him a half-hearted glare. "That's just to say you don't know the answer to any of those questions."

Sakura sighed. "Shut up, Naruto."

Kakashi chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. Now, let's look around. We might find out some things."

The group surveyed the village, eyes darting around with the trained focus of a ninja.

"Umm…Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked. "What exactly are we supposed to be looking for?"

Kakashi shrugged. "If I knew that, we wouldn't be looking, now would we?"

The group separated, a little reluctantly at first, and began to comb the remains of the village for a sign of where they were. Naruto set out a few clones to the further reaches of the ruins.

Sakura's shout of "I found something!" fifteen minutes later brought them all running.

"Look at this!" She exclaimed, holding up a golden box. It still shined brightly despite the dirt that was covering it. Kakashi took the box from Sakura and examined it curiously. After a few seconds, he tossed it back to her "It looks like some sort of jewelry box." He mused. "Strange that it's in such good condition."

"It's not a jewelry box."

Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke all turned to look at Naruto, who looked pretty uncomfortable about his outburst. "I mean," Naruto hurried on. "We can't just assume it's something like that." He held out his hand. "May I have a look?"

Sakura shrugged, handing him the golden box. She and the others continued the search and left Naruto standing near the place where the box had been found.

He looked at it curiously. It seemed ordinary enough, but there was something about it, something he couldn't quite place.

He twisted and turned the lid, going with good old-fashioned brute force to try and remove it. The lid didn't budge. Naruto stared at it for a little while longer, and then felt a flicker go off in his mind. He then held the music box very gently, and poured some chakra into it, like he was trying to make a rasengan.

The box started to react to that. He poured some more into it, and felt something was about to give away….

"I found something! I think you'll all want to have a look at this."

Distracted by Sasuke's exclamation, Naruto lost concentration and the box went back to normal. He scowled, and then stuffed it into his pocket, deciding to try again later.

He rushed over to where Sasuke was standing. He was near the ruins of a large signboard, and was peering up at it uneasily.

Kakashi got there first, and read the faded words that were written on the signboard.

"Oh…" Kakashi exclaimed softly, and when Naruto arrived close enough to read the words, his heart sank.

**Welcome to Uzushiogakure**

"You mean…" Sakura whispered. "That this place was…?"

Kakashi stood up. "Well, then." He said. "Now we know where we are." He said matter-of-factly. He looked towards the big, deserted building. "Let's see what's inside there." He said. "Maybe we can find out why we're here."

Naruto glanced over at the only building that was still standing. He suddenly had a feeling of trepidation.

They walked towards it; the building seemed to grow larger and more intimidating as they drew closer.

Naruto gave a small shudder, and let his gaze dart sideways. What he unintentionally saw made him gasp for the third time that day.

"Look." He mumbled, horrified, and made to stop his teammates.

Lying there was the big ninja that had attacked them. He was dead.

And he still had a smile on his face.

**^^^Scene change^^^**

The three Genin that entered the building were a good deal more nervous than they had been when they arrived. Seeing a dead person will do that to you. Kakashi seemed surprised, but he'd seen this too many times to be really shaken up. To him, it was a confirmation of the location of one of the enemy. And that enemy was dead. How, no one could tell.

The inside of the building didn't do much to reassure them. It was huge, with large, vaulted ceilings, and had the creepy, empty feeling of a long-deserted building. Even Naruto, adding to his rather strange behavior throughout the mission, frowned and bit his lip, saying nothing.

It seemed so…familiar to him. He didn't know why, and it was starting to scare him.

The group reached the middle of the building, which housed a large ballroom. The ceiling and floor were tiled with the swirly pattern that adorned the back of their vests.

"Uzumaki…" Kakashi whispered. Sasuke and Sakura gave Naruto a sidelong glance. To their surprise, he was staring at the steps leading to a throne near the edge of the ballroom with a strange look on his face.

Suddenly, Naruto grabbed his head in his hands, like he had a headache. "Why?" He hissed in pain. "Why do I feel like I've forgotten something?"

Kakashi turned to them and began so say something, before something made him freeze in his tracks.

Music began to play. It surrounded the huge ballroom, around the huge dais above the floor they were standing on. It was soft, yet powerful and strangely sinister.

Naruto's head snapped up at the sound. He began to listen intently, screwing up his face as if concentrating on something.

He stepped up near the edge of the dais. Then he started to sing, softly at first, then slowly gaining volume as he continued.

"_Dancing bears, painted wings,_

"_Things I almost remember._

"_And a song someone sings,_

"_Once upon a December."_

He started to make his way down the stairs leading to the dance floor. The others just watched him go, mostly out of surprise than anything else.

"_Someone holds me, safe and warm._

"_Horses prance through a silver storm,_

"_Figures dancing gracefully,"_

Naruto had reached the center, and was standing in the middle of the huge Uzumaki swirl symbol on the floor.

"_Across my memory!"_

It was then that it happened.

Millions of ghostly figures came out of nowhere. They came from the windows, from the floors, from the ceiling, and they were all dancing. The figures stationed themselves in a circle, still dancing and humming, around Naruto, who didn't seem to be bothered all that much. He continued to sing as the music reached a crescendo.

"_Someone holds me, safe and warm._

"_Horses prance through a silver storm,_

"_Figures dancing gracefully,"_

"_Across my memory!"_

The figures were surrounding him now. A white light erupted from the middle of the symbol on the floor, engulfing Naruto in it.

It dimmed away to reveal him again a few seconds later, except now he was…glowing.

The crowd around him also seemed to be parting, as if to let something through.

"_Far away, long ago_

"_Glowing dim as an ember,_

"_Things my heart used to know,_

"_Things it yearns to remember…"_

Naruto seemed to falter at this point. Because making a line through the crowd, coming right at him, was a tall, ghostly figure of a woman with long, red hair. She was dressed elegantly, and had a warm smile on her face; her green eyes were lit with delight.

It was then that Kakashi, standing frozen on the dais, knew exactly who these people were. He gave a small whisper. "Kushina…"

She bent down in front of Naruto, still smiling, as he continued singing in a very soft voice.

"_And a song someone sings.."_

The woman bent down to Naruto's ear and whispered something, causing him to go pale. She then gave him a kiss on his forehead and backed away, slipping him something so that only he could see it.

It took all of Naruto's willpower to continue with the last line.

"_Once upon a December."_

The music slowed then stopped, and all the figures slowly disappeared, leaving Naruto alone.

He leaned back on the wall and slid to the floor, still clutching the object the woman had handed him under his jacket like it was a lifeline.

The other three up on the balcony could only stare as the great Uzumaki clan disappeared, leaving the last of them on the floor, small tears sliding down his face.

(**A/N: **And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the moment you've all been waiting for. Pretty cool, huh? This is the song that inspired me to write this chapter. I hope that was an epic enough scene, because I liked it! It's fun creating suspense..xD

Again, sorry for the lateness of this chapter. On a totally different note, anyone see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows? Wow. A word to all fellow HP fans, might be writing something for that fandom, because I love it so much.

Anywhos, please REVIEW and tell me what you think! Constructive criticism is needed!

**Review Responses:**

**Dream-Fighter-1556: **Thanks, it was fun writing that Sasuke part. Thank you for reading! :)

**RasenShuriken92: **Thank you, and yes that skeletal guy was Rasputin. He won't be exactly like that guy in Naruto Shippuden: Kizuna but he will be pretty darn freaky. You kind of got a hint in this chapter.

**JoshRand1982: **Umm..do you want to laugh or shudder at the story, or my writing? Thanks for the review; I'll try to up my writing style to Pulitzer Prize standard!

**Crazyshady666: **Thanks! As for the pairing, it isn't going to be decided until I make the sequel (If there is even going to be one.) He's only thirteen here, so pairings are held off until later.

**KaliAnn: **Maybe I'll try that, it sounds funny. Here's Once Upon a December, hope I did your favorite song justice. Thanks for your review!

**Vanex: **I'm happy that this fic encouraged you to see one of my favorite Disney movies! Now you'll understand some ideas I got from the movie, did you remember this scene?

**Amber Ice Fox: **Thanks! It is the first story of its kind; I hope it encourages others to do more Naruto/Anastasia crossovers! I'm thinking it would make a very good MinaKushi story.

**Serin2: **Thanks! And yes, I couldn't imagine Naruto's English voice singing, that would be pretty painful. We'll assume that this is his Japanese voice actor, and that she's good at singing. I really don't know why they gave him that voice in English in the first place…

See you all next time!)


	6. Chapter 5: Mother?

(**A/N**: Hi everybody! I'm finally on winter break, so I'll actually be able to work on my stories some more. Expect more chapters to come, and faster!

Anyway, on to the point where we left off: What did Naruto's mother tell him? Will he ever trust Kakashi and Tsunade again? What is Rasputin up to, exactly? Read on to find out!

Big thanks to **Kronos Titan of time, PuppetMaster55, notgonnasay09, KaliAnn, Vanex, **and **ragnrock kyuubi **for your reviews! And to all the people who favorite/alerted: thank you! I'm sorry that I don't give you as much credit as you deserve for motivating me to write.

Enjoy! )

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto or Anastasia. If I did own Naruto, I would be giving some more time in including the main character in the story (I mean, seriously? He doesn't even know about the war yet!)

^^^Indicates scene change^^^

Once Upon a December: Uzumaki Style!

Chapter 5: Mother?

Silence.

Nobody said a word to him; they just stared as the last of the figures disappeared.

Naruto wasn't quite sure what to say about this, however.

He was grateful for the silence, but that also gave him time to think, and he did not want to face what he'd just heard. He didn't want to come to that unwelcome conclusion that his shocked brain was slowly piecing together.

Because that woman, (his….mother?) had slipped him a key under his jacket, and told him quietly:

"_Use it only when in desperate need, my son. I love you."_

Boom. There it was. The truth he'd so desperately been looking for, thrust right at him when he was least prepared.

He'd wanted to know who was family was, sure. He's been searching for the connections ever since they'd arrived, because he'd been certain he was at least descended from these people.

But Naruto had had no idea that his MOTHER had been the freaking PRINCESS of the UZUMAKI CLAN.

It was too much, really. He was still processing that he even had a mother, let alone knowing she had been the last survivor of a great clan.

Oh, and he'd just seen her as a GHOST along with the rest of his deceased family.

AND he was suddenly singing songs he had never heard before, and getting random memories of a little girl with red hair…

Oh God.

Those were hers. His…mother's memories, passed on to him. Why? What was happening to him?

Naruto felt a sudden chuckle of hysteria start to form. It was then he realized he was crying.

"I'm crying in front of Sasuke." He thought dimly. "Pull yourself together."

He stood up slowly, hand tightening under his jacket, clutching the only relic he had of his mother.

His _mother_.

It was going to take some time to get used to thinking that.

He walked, unsteadily and shaking slightly, over to where the others were waiting. They were still staring at him.

Naruto stared back awkwardly. Then he gave a small cough.

"Umm..guys? Mission, scary green people, randomly appearing in this place, ring any bells? We kind of need to continue this."

Anything to get him to stop thinking. Naruto needed the distraction.

Sakura was the first to speak.

"Those were…ghosts!" She squeaked, swaying slightly. She looked really unsettled.

"No shit, Sherlock." Mumbled Sasuke. Naruto gave him a look. That had got to be the first time he'd ever heard Sasuke swear. He must be really shaken up.

Who wouldn't be, in this situation? Naruto definitely was. His mind was still in shock, but when everything really sunk in, he was going to be flipping out.

Kakashi-sensei seemed to snap out of it too.

"OK, you two." He pointed to Sasuke and Sakura. "Get outside, scout the perimeter, and search for a way to get back." He turned to Naruto. "Naruto, you come with me. We're searching the inside of this place some more."

Naruto nodded. He could feel his teammate's eyes on him.

"Let's move out!"

**^^^scene change^^^**

Naruto and Kakashi were left standing in the building after Sasuke and Sakura had left. Kakashi, however, had not moved after he gave the order. He leaned back against the wall and regarded his student, as if waiting for something.

Several seconds passed before he spoke.

"Are you all right, Naruto?"

The quiet, concerned question caught Naruto off guard.

"I'm fi…"

Naruto found he couldn't sound out the automatic answer.

Kakashi sighed. "Naruto. Really, it's ok." He said reassuringly. "You've just had a big shock, so let it all out now."

Naruto shuffled his feet awkwardly. "Sensei, I don't want to think about it." He bowed his head, cheeks reddening.

Kakashi interrupted him. "Seriously. It's not healthy to keep stuff like this in. I assume she told you who she was?"

Naruto's throat constricted. "Yeah, she…she's…I…"

He got hit by a sudden realization.

"Kakashi-sensei, do you know who she is?"

Kakashi lowered his head to the floor. "Yes."

Naruto's breathing quickened. _No.._

Kakashi continued on, very quietly. "Kushina Uzumaki, former princess of the Whirpool Village, ninja of Konoha, mother of Naruto Uzumaki, and" Kakashi seemed to hesitate here, and then continued haltingly. "And former container of the Kyuubi no Kitsune."

Naruto's world fell apart right then.

Kakashi looked up, a guilty expression on his face.

"I'm sorry."

Naruto just couldn't believe it. "What? Container of the…what? Ninja? How do you…Why didn't you…How?"

Kakashi looked like one of his worst fears had come to pass. "Naruto, hear me out, ok? I swear, I didn't know about the whole Princess of the Land of the Whirlpool part until recently…"

Was Kakashi-sensei…rambling? He looked desperate, like he really wanted to explain himself.

Naruto had never seen him look like that before.

"But I knew her as a ninja at the leaf village. I never knew her background, I never asked. She was an amazing ninja, your mother. You take after her a lot, you know."

Was that…pride on Kakashi-sensei's face?

"Stamina, cheerful disposition, pranking ability, love of ramen, all that is from your mother. She also had the biggest heart I have ever encountered. She always stood up for those less fortunate then her. You take those from here, too."

There was a moment of silence: one of amazement and shock of Naruto, and of nostalgia for Kakashi.

"Your mother." Continued Kakashi. "Had extraordinarily strong chakra. I'm thinking her father sent her away to the leaf village to escape this "curse", and in return for her safety she became a ninja of the leaf village. And the container of the kyuubi no kitsune."

Naruto was frozen in shock. He didn't know how to react to this.

"She died the night it was released from her, maybe it escaped, I'm not quite sure how that happened, but the same night the fox was released…"

"October tenth." Naruto breathed out. "My birthday."

"It was resealed inside you, and your mother died." Kakashi looked guilty, immeasurably guilty. "I'm sorry." He said again.

Naruto was shocked beyond belief now.

"I have…" He finally croaked out. "A mother?"

Kakashi looked confused. "Yes."

Naruto broke out into a smile. "She didn't leave me, after all…"

Kakashi didn't quite know how to respond to that one.

Naruto seemed to be struggling against tears. "And she was a princess, and her family was killed, and she was a ninja, and…she was…" He took a deep breath, trying to control himself. "She was a demon container. Like me."

Kakashi seemed relieved. "Yes, Naruto. I'm sorry for springing all this at you at once, but you have to know at this point, and…I'm sorry."

Naruto, however, had not finished. "And you knew? You knew the whole time?"

He hadn't started crying yet, but his control was starting to slip.

"Who else knew?"

Kakashi sighed. "Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-sama, Sandaime-sama, and I don't know of any others. Some higher-ups to the Hokage might know, too."

Naruto gasped. "Ero-Senin and Baachan…?"

Kakashi winced "Yeah."

"None of you ever said anything!"

Naruto was getting angry now. "All my life, I've wanted to know something about my parents! Just a name would have been ok! A description! A sign that they existed at all! Anything that proved I didn't just appear out of nowhere!"

He was pacing by now, huffing angrily. He was starting to react to everything he'd heard.

A small sigh was heard. Naruto raised his head and looked at his teacher again.

"I'm sorry." Kakashi repeated for what felt like the hundredth time. "I'm _so_ sorry, Naruto. I have no excuse for not telling you earlier. I'm sorry."

Naruto felt his control start to crack. Why was he getting so emotional?

Oh, yeah. Because he'd just learned about his mother (His _mother_!) and almost every adult who was close to him had known her. She had been a ninja and a former demon container.

So, Naruto put his head in his hands and started to cry again.

He couldn't help it.

**^^^POV Change^^^**

Kakashi Hatake, the great copy ninja, world-renowned and fearless in the face of death, was at a complete and total loss.

He was actually close to panicking.

He'd pulled Naruto away from the others to keep him from their questions, as well as telling himself fiercely that it was time to tell Naruto everything.

It hadn't gone very well.

Kakashi was terrible with emotions. He was terrible with kids. Give him an emotional kid, and he wouldn't know what to do. Especially if said kid was close to him, and looked up to him as a teacher and mentor.

So, when he revealed that he'd known Kushina, the look in Naruto's eyes had made him start to bluster, to try and give himself excuses for not telling him the truth sooner.

He'd never felt this panicked in front of his Genin. He felt, however, that he had to try and explain himself, and give Naruto a reason to trust him again. So he told him about his mother. Kakashi thought that would help for a while, but when Naruto had started to talk; Kakashi knew he would have to watch the transition of emotions that usually followed this kind of revelation.

The anger had been pretty bad, not that Kakashi hadn't been expecting it. What was surprised him was how quickly that anger abated, and how Naruto had finally started to cry.

That was definitely bad. Kakashi had no idea what he should do. So, he settled for more apologies, and much ruffling of Naruto's hair, which he did a lot and hoped to offer some comfort from it. He did suppose that it was a good thing Naruto was letting it all out now. But still…

Naruto, however, being the unpredictable ninja that he was, stopped crying after a little while, and gave a small smile.

Kakashi was incredibly confused now.

Naruto looked up at him. "I'm Kushina Uzumaki's son. I'll deal."

Kakashi smiled. "I have no doubt you will."

He still felt guilty and ashamed, but he knew Naruto was strong enough to get over this.

In fact, Kakashi could even say he was stronger than his parents in that regard.

He knew that, wherever they were, they were proud of Naruto. As was he.

**^^^scene change^^^**

Sasuke and Sakura were silently scouting the area, searching for any signs of life or transport. A larger portion of their brains, however, was going over what they'd just seen.

After a while, Sakura asked softly "Sasuke?"

Sasuke halted his search. "Yeah?"

"What do you think happened in there? Who were those people, and what did they want with Naruto?"

Sasuke sighed. "I really don't know what happened and how, but you really should know who those people were."

Sakura frowned. "Huh?"

"The floor was decorated with the Uzumaki clan symbol." Sasuke explained. "And that woman talking to Naruto, Kakashi called her Kushina. I think you could figure it out from there."

Sakura's eyes widened. "You mean…"

Sasuke sighed. "Yes, Naruto is more closely related to the Uzumaki then we thought. He's the last of his clan." He added the last sentence in a soft voice.

Sakura gave a sudden gasp.

Sasuke looked at her. "What is it?"

Sakura gave Sasuke a wide-eyed look. "The Princess Kushina was Naruto's mother, right?"

Sasuke nodded. "Probably." He said.

"Does that mean," Sakura continued. "That he's in danger from the curse too? Is that a sign that Rasputin really is behind all this?"

Sasuke frowned. "I never thought of that." He looked up at the sky. "That makes everything a whole lot more complicated." He stood up. "We've got to tell Kakashi. And Naruto too."

"Ok." Sakura agreed, and they both stood up and ran for the building, search forgotten.

**^^^scene change^^^**

Kakashi frowned as he listened to his students' theory. "That could be a problem."

He glanced over at Naruto, who seemed to be back to his old self.

Naruto let out a snort. "If he does come after me, we can deal with him!"

Kakashi did not like the look in Naruto's eyes. It was like he was hoping to see Rasputin. It was a look Sasuke often had, and it did not work on Naruto at all.

Kakashi shook his head. "Naruto, this guy wiped out an entire clan. A very powerful, influential clan. We have to be careful if we go up against him."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, there has to be some kind of catch there!" He exclaimed. "I mean, it's impossible for one guy to kill off an entire clan. It doesn't work like that. He had to have some help, some special jutsu or something…"

Sasuke cut in, his voice cold. "It's VERY possible for one guy to kill off an entire clan, Naruto. It's happened before."

Naruto winced. He'd forgotten about that.

Kakashi stood up. "Anyway, we need to get out of here. That's our priority. Let's get back outside and look around again. If we don't find anything, we go back on foot. Understood?"

There were three mumbled affirmatives, and they were off again.

**^^^scene change^^^**

"Look at this!"

Sasuke's call brought all three teammates to his side in an instant. They'd been searching for about five minutes, and Sasuke had been the first to find anything.

He was kneeling next to the corpse of the green-faced ninja. Sakura turned a little green herself and looked away.

"Look." Sasuke said again, motioning to the spot next to the corpse.

It was a circle of intricate symbols, much like the one that had brought them here.

Kakashi sighed. "Why didn't I think of searching here before?" He asked himself. He turned to the others. "Everybody, get in the center of the circle and stay close together."

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura crowded in the center. It was an extremely uncomfortable moment.

Kakashi pulled out a kunai and drew a little blood from the corpse. It trickled on his fingers in a steady stream, and he raised his hand over the circle, letting it hover slightly.

"Are you all ready?"

The Genin nodded, having figured out what he was doing.

"Kakashi-sensei, what are you…?"

Well, except for Naruto.

"You'll see." Kakashi slammed his palm in the middle of the circle.

There was a flash of light, and the group disappeared once more.

**^^^scene change^^^**

Far away, in a run-down cottage in the middle of nowhere, sat a tall, skeletal man.

He was not happy, if the furious look on his face was anything to go by.

"They arrived!" He hissed, apparently to himself. "They arrived and went!"

He stood up and began to pace the room.

"It's clear that they need to be separated, if I am to kill the last Uzumaki. Those accomplices of his are simply too powerful."

He glared into a small corner of the room. "Those run out quickly. I'll have to make less at a time if they are to last longer."

He took out a pen and began to sketch out some diagrams. After a few minutes, he held up his newly created sketch before his face, apparently satisfied with his work.

"What do you think?" He spoke at the corner, holding up the drawing. "I do think this way will catch any stray threads of chakra that happen to leak out. That's the biggest problem I have with this jutsu."

The green, lifeless faces of two ninja grinned out from the corner, saying nothing.

(**A/N: **Oh, the drama! That was a very emotionally-charged chapter, but Naruto did need to come to terms with everything. And just to make it clear, he hasn't really accepted everything yet. He still needs time to get used to the information, and he still needs time to regain his trust in Kakashi, Tsunade and Jiraiya. He's also out for revenge for his family's killer, but will get over it. He's going to learn about "love and peace for the world" and all that sooner here than in canon.

Oh, and nobody knows that Kushina had given Naruto anything. They didn't see this happening. Just to clarify why Kakashi didn't ask him about it.

If this chapter confused you, don't worry about it. Everything will be answered by the time this story is over. If you have some questions, leave it a review or PM. Really, it's a pretty confusing story.

Anyways, please REVIEW and tell me what you think! Is the story moving nicely, or does it need work in some areas? Let me know, please!

**Review Responses:**

**Kronos Titan of time: **Thank you very much for that flattering review! To answer your questions, he's found out about his mother, but he will not find out about his father. Not in this story, anyway. And Naruto is the last of the Uzumaki, but there are some people out there who worked for them once. He might find some allies in them (Hint, hint…)

Again, thanks for the review! I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.

**PuppetMaster55: **Why, thank you! I hope this has lived up to your expectations XD

**notgonnasay09:**Hehe…I had no idea Anastasia wasn't a Disney movie. Thanks for letting me know XD

As for the setting of this story, it is not in winter. It's in the summer, although I have never seen a season change in Konoha, it's the same all year round. So there is no snow or anything. I've corrected the other typos you pointed out (again, thanks for that! :D)

I hope this story continues to stay interesting. Thank you very much for the review!

**KaliAnn: **You have a Naruto youtube video? Singing Once Upon a December? That's awesome; I would love to check it out. Thanks for the review :)

**Vanex: **Yes, he doesn't trust the adults around him as much anymore. This is going to change some aspects of his character, he's going to become more independent and such. The knowledge that they kept from him hurt him a lot, and it's going to take a while to rebuild that trust. Imagine what he would do if he found out about his dad at this point…I'm keeping that as a potential story idea. :)

**ragnrock kyuubi: **Thank you, enjoy the story!

See you all next time! :D)


	7. Chapter 6: To be an Avenger

(**A/N: **Annnd we're back with a new chapter of "Once Upon a December: Uzumaki Style"! This chapter's going to have a bit more on storyline and plot than the previous one did, I'm sorry about that. But I did drop in these little hints about what was going to happen. (Really, read every chapter carefully. Including the prologue) Anyway, Naruto did have to get through some emotions.

Concerning the timeline of this story (I don't think I've mentioned it), it's set before the Sasuke Retrieval arc, but after Tsunade becomes Hokage. If you watch the anime fillers, it's around the Land of Tea arc. Those of you asking about pairings, there aren't going to be any for this story. The kids are 13, and Kakashi…well, he isn't an involved sort of guy. He's more likely to read about romance than to have a relationship. (Don't we all know this..XD). However, if (and only IF) this has a sequel, there will be pairings. Haven't decided which ones, but I'll plan them out. If you have a preference, let me know.

Also, there were some concerns to why Naruto didn't ask about his father last chapter. This is a good point, and I'm putting my answer up here so that everybody can see. Naruto was an emotional mess last chapter, so he wasn't really thinking coherently. He's also lived most of his life alone, and doesn't really get that he has parents, so he didn't ask. He will later, of course, but I can tell you from now that he won't get a straight answer. Minato might be important later on, (If Naruto finds out at this point, he'd go nuts) but that won't be for a while. It would be in the maybe-sequel. By the way, just to clear things up: in this story, Kakashi knows that Kushina was a jinchuuriki, but does not know about Madaara. He doesn't know the term "Jinchuuriki" either, and only knows the barest basics about what they are.

Thank you **PuppetMaster55, KaliAnn, serin2, notgonnasay09, **and **Uchiha Kiara **for your wonderful reviews! They are appreciated.

Anyways, enough with this incredibly long author's note and enjoy the story!)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto or Anastasia. If I did, I would also be asking for the rights to own "Harry Potter", "The Chronicles of Narnia" and "Star Wars", since it would be a world where fans could own any fandom they wished to have…*sighs*

^^^Indicates scene change^^^

Once Upon a December: Uzumaki Style!

Chapter 6: To be an Avenger

It had been a very tiring day for Naruto, to say the least. So when the group arrived in the Whirlpool's capital, he didn't notice Sakura's lack of observations, or the fact that she was looking at him with concern (a fact that would have had him jumping for joy if he'd noticed.) He didn't see Sasuke glancing at him occasionally, with something like pity and understanding in his eyes. He didn't hear Kakashi mutter "Extraordinary…sort of like Hirashin." after they returned, and would have been too drained to ask about it anyway.

After a quick check of the city and a talk with the Feudal Lord, he went straight to the room he shared with Sasuke to go to bed. He was very tired, and he needed some sleep. But his brain wouldn't let him sleep. He was replaying the events of the day in his head; sorting out every individual thought so his brain could finally shut down and let him rest.

First thing's first: his mother. That was the predominant fact that rose in his mind, he had a mother, she had been a demon-host. To the same demon, he might add. He'd pretty much dealt with that; he now accepted that he had a mother, and that she went through the same thing he had. It would take some time to get used to, but he would deal.

What he couldn't accept, however, was the fact that nobody had told him anything like that. It hurt to know how many people who were close to him knew this, but neglected to say anything. This fact brought out more doubts: exactly how many more secrets were they keeping? Was there something about Naruto that they weren't telling him? And what about his father? Naruto thought that he should have asked about that sooner. He would go to Kakashi-sensei in the morning to get some answers.

He rolled over in bed angrily, turning away from the door as it opened softly. "Naruto?" a hushed voice inquired, and when he didn't say anything, a figure came into the room quietly. Naruto dimly recognized it as Sasuke.

This brought him to another thought: Sasuke and Sakura knew. They'd figured it out, they were smart people. They probably didn't know about the demon-container situation, and Naruto knew he would probably have to tell them soon. This thought scared him more than anything. What would they _say? _He didn't want to keep any secrets from them anymore, as he knew they'd find out eventually and would probably be as hurt as he was now. If they weren't terrified of him, that is.

They knew about his family, and that was bad enough. Would they start treating him differently because of it? He didn't know if he could bear that. He wanted to earn their respect on his own, and not because he was related to some famous clan. He didn't want to receive recognition the Sasuke way.

Sasuke. Sasuke had seen him cry today. Naruto felt a sudden rush of embarrassment. He didn't know how he would live this one down, he'd been crying in front of his rival! Sasuke had been nice about it so far, but if Naruto knew him, he would bring it up before long.

And Sakura…she was being so kind. So sensitive. Sasuke was too, but Naruto didn't want to admit it. What would they do if he just broke their trust like that? What if he did tell them about the Kyuubi? What would change? They had already seen his dead family dancing around him…

Naruto's mind blanked. How _had _that happened? What _was _that? They had obviously been ghosts. After some thought, Naruto concluded that it had either been some sort of jutsu, or it was something to do with the building and the memories it contained. They had seemed so _real, _though. His mother had actually kissed him, had given him that key…

Naruto's mind backtracked again. The key! He nearly sat bolt upright in bed, but managed to catch himself and only stiffened considerably.

"Naruto?"

Naruto looked back at the next bed to see Sasuke, who was looking at him with some…concern? He stared back, but Sasuke didn't seem to want to say anything else.

"I'm fine." Naruto mumbled, understanding Sasuke's one-word question. Sasuke had the gift of saying as much as possible using the least amount of words. Anyone who'd known him for as long as Naruto had understood him very well. Naruto also knew that Sasuke was useless at emotional situations, so he just gave him a tiny grin, muttered a quick "Goodnight!" and lay back down.

He fingered the key on the inside of his jacket. Nobody had seen him receive it, or they would have said something.

"_Use it only when in desperate need, my son. I love you."_

What did _that _mean? How was a key going to help him out with anything? He took it out silently, making sure Sasuke didn't see it. He didn't know why, but he didn't want anybody to know about this. It was private, something that was between him and his mother.

The key was nothing special to look at. It was a gold-ish color, and was as shiny as a new key could be. There were little intricate designs along the top and bottom, but nothing that was out of the ordinary.

Naruto stuffed the key back inside his jacket. (He'd worn it to bed, because he was cold) While doing so, his finger brushed against another object that felt strange.

Frowning, Naruto pulled out the golden box they had discovered earlier. It felt like so long ago now. He glanced at it, looking at the small keyhole in the middle of the box.

Could it be…?

Naruto hastily took out the key, and shoved it in the keyhole. It didn't fit correctly, however, so Naruto sighed and replaced the objects in his pockets. "_Back to square one." _He thought angrily.

Anger reminded him of their present situation: Rasputin.

Naruto wasn't quite sure how he should feel about him. But he did know was that he hated Rasputin with all his heart, and would do anything to stop him. He also wanted some sort of…price to be paid, maybe? Some justice? Something to put Rasputin in his place, to make him _suffer_ for killing off his family…

Oh, no.

Naruto shook his head. He didn't want any suffering, he didn't want revenge, he didn't want anything like that. He just wasn't that sort of person. He wasn't Sasuke.

And yet…

It seemed right for Rasputin to get something he deserved. Naruto hated him too much to feel any sympathy or mercy. And now, Rasputin was coming after _him. _Naruto didn't care about himself that much, there were always people after him, (Akatsuki being the most dangerous) and he was used to it by now. But that meant Rasputin himself could make an appearance, and Naruto had no idea how he would react if he saw him.

Naruto punched his pillow in frustration; he now had a pretty good idea what it felt like to be Sasuke.

"Naruto?"

Speaking of which…

Sasuke sat back up again, and regarded Naruto carefully. A few seconds passed before he spoke.

"You want him dead, right?"

Naruto didn't have to ask who he was talking about. He simply stared, and waited for Sasuke to continue.

"You've got to give it your all." Sasuke continued. "Revenge is hard work, especially if the person you want to kill is incredibly powerful. So powerful, that he killed off an entire clan. To kill somebody like that, you've got to leave everything else behind. That's what being an avenger is about."

Naruto was completely speechless.

Sasuke gave him a look, and went on. "To be an avenger, you'll need to make that your primary goal in life. You will need to leave everything else behind, including your dream to be Hokage. You're like me now." He added in a reflective tone. "Good luck. I…I think you'll need it."

The last part was said in a hesitant voice. It seemed that Sasuke didn't believe he could kill Rasputin yet.

Sasuke turned around and went back to sleep almost instantly. Naruto was still sitting up, feeling a little shell-shocked. What was with all these weird surprises today?

"_You're like me now."_

Naruto shuddered slightly. He didn't think that was a good thing, and he didn't know if Sasuke thought that either. But as he looked back at Sasuke's face, he saw that there was some…concern on his features. He realized then that this was Sasuke's way of offering support, that Sasuke really did think that Naruto wanted revenge.

"_You will need to leave everything else behind, including your dream to be Hokage."_

That had made him feel cold all over. There was no way he could ever do that. His dream was what anchored him to reality; it was what made him go on. And yet…

"_You want him dead, right?"_

Did he?

Naruto punched his pillow angrily again. Life was complicated, he decided. But for now, he needed to sleep.

His brain suddenly shut down, and he was sound asleep within minutes.

**^^^scene change^^^**

The next day saw Naruto in a reflective mood. He had more or less gone back to normal, but he would sometimes just shut down randomly and stare off into space, apparently in deep thought. Nobody knew what to make of this, so they left him to do what he wished.

Kakashi was especially concerned, and wondered if this new attitude had something to do with Naruto's questions that morning.

_**FLASHBACK**_

"_Kakashi-sensei, who was my father?"_

_Well, that was abrupt. Kakashi stopped sipping the tea he'd been drinking for breakfast and laid down his cup._

"_Well, he wasn't there, if that's what you were wondering." He said, playing for time, his mind racing furiously._

_Naruto looked down at his hands. "Oh." He said, his voice a whisper. "But who was he? Did you know him?"_

"_Yes." Kakashi decided a simple, honest reply was the best._

_Naruto looked up at him, a little surprised. "Then can you tell me who he was?"_

_Kakashi shook his head. "No." Short and simple._

_Naruto's eyes filled with a fiery anger. "Why?" He demanded._

"_That is out of my hands." Kakashi replied. "I really can't tell you. I promise you will know one day. I might even get to be the one to tell you."_

_Naruto looked annoyed. "Why can't you tell me now? I don't get it."_

"_The situation is a little different with your father." Kakashi said carefully. "I need permission to let you know his identity. Just don't worry about it now. Concentrate on our mission."_

_Naruto's eyes lit up with anger again. "Yeah, and find Rasputin."_

_He stared out of the window for a while before saying "His identity won't be as surprising as my mom's right?" He said light-heartedly "I mean, demon-container, who can top that in importance?"_

_Kakashi coughed slightly and lowered his head. "Hmm." He muttered, taking another sip of tea. Let Naruto interpret that as he will._

"_Well, team." He stood up. "Let's get on with this!"_

_**END FLASHBACK **_

That had been sudden. Kakashi hoped Naruto hadn't taken that to heart. The truth was, he was ordered not to tell Naruto exactly that, and he couldn't go back on orders. The Elders would have his head, not to mention Tsunade and Jiraiya.

The whole messy situation didn't seem to hinder the mission, however. All three Genin were working hard and searching the village top-to-bottom for a sign of the attackers. So far nothing had been found, but as Sakura had pointed out, the attackers weren't likely to hang around. Especially since they'd seen one of them dead when they were transported to the Whirlpool Village.

The jutsu used for that had been amazing. Kakashi had only ever seen a transportation jutsu like that used by one person: Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash and Fourth Hokage of Konoha. The coincidence was disturbing, and Kakashi hoped it wasn't related to their "other situation". What was also bugging him was the dead body of the shinobi they had found in the village. He hadn't died of anything obvious, from what Kakashi could see. It was strange, but it seemed like he's just…ran out. Like he'd just dropped dead because everything had stopped working. It was very strange.

That's why Kakashi had ordered the team to go back to the scene of the attack. They retraced their steps and ended up at the ring of seals that had brought them to the Whirlpool Village. He'd poked around and had discovered that the seals were a type of advanced Fuuinjutsu that were scarily close to Hirashin. He'd surmised that they were against a Fuuinjutsu master and, Rasputin or not, he was very powerful. The sheer chakra level and concentration it took to maintain a jutsu like this that transported multiple people at once, as well as making it to recognize the blood of separate people, was alarming. Only someone of Naruto's chakra capacity could manage it, and it would leave him gasping for air.

Kakashi decided that he saw too many chakra freaks in his life. Why couldn't anyone have normal levels anymore?

That aside, they needed to come up with a plan to get the mastermind behind this to show himself. He suggested this to his team to get ideas.

"Go after him." Suggested Naruto at once. "Find another ninja that works for Rasputin, and use his blood like you did to get us back here."

"It isn't that easy, loser." Said Sasuke slowly, like he was talking to a five-year old. "What, do we wait for one to show up? How do we know they'll even show? We couldn't even win a fight against those ninja, remember?"

"He's right." Sakura cut in. "We aren't even sure Rasputin is behind this in the first place. It could be anybody."

Naruto shook his head. "I'm sure it's Rasputin." He said. "Everything that's happens just screams it. I mean, what happened yesterday, that can't be a coincidence. It had to be some kind of warning, or clue of some sort. Anyway," Naruto continued, glancing at Sasuke. "I'm pretty sure we can bet on them showing up again. We've got what Rasputin's after right here."

There was a silence as everybody took in what he'd just said.

"It makes sense, doesn't it?" Naruto pressed. "They'll keep coming as long as I'm here. We can use that to our advantage."

Sakura shook her head. "No, that'd be wrong. I mean…" She gave him a worried glance. "He's trying to kill you, Naruto. That'd be like using you."

Naruto grinned, a small grin that was merely a shadow of his original one. "Don't worry, Sakura-chan. I'm not gonna die anytime soon. Not 'til I become Hokage."

Those words lightened the mood a little. It had been a while since anybody had heard that. Sasuke was the only one who seemed disheartened. He frowned a little, but said nothing.

Kakashi nodded to himself. "I agree that Rasputin is probably the one behind this." He began. "And that he's after you. But we can't just charge in, Naruto. We have to come up with a plan. It won't do us any good if we just get pummeled by him again. We need to find out some of his weaknesses. I'm actually thinking of sending for reinforcements. This situation is bigger than we thought."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

"There have been some things that are bothering me." Kakashi said, frowning. "For one, why bother sending anybody at all? Why not come himself? Why have his minions transport us somewhere, then do nothing about it? It doesn't add up."

Kakashi was pacing back and forth by now. "What really bothers me is how he managed to get us here. I mean, the Whirlpool Feudal Lord requests a team from Konoha to be sent in, and we just happen to be the team to get the mission? It seems too convenient to be accidental."

Kakashi sighed in frustration and ran a hand through his gravity-defying hair. "I'm sending for backup. I really think we need some help here."

"Yes. Yes you do." Said a voice near the little group. They spun around quickly to see a man with a green, grinning face sitting near a boulder next to them. He was twirling a shiny, sharp kunai on his finger.

"You really are in trouble now." He remarked, a cruel smirk on his face.

TBC

(**A/N**: BA BA BUUUUMMM! I do love cliffhangers :P. Expect many more of them!

Again, this was more of a contemplative chapter than an action one. The action will start next chapter, I promise!

Yikes, I really feel I botched this one up. It seems too heavy, and Naruto's character is a bit inconsistent. I can say this, though; he's getting serious. And Sasuke isn't helping matters much, he's giving Naruto the advice he thinks is right.

Also, Sakura's character is completely escaping me. Currently, I have no clue to what to do with her. If you guys have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them (I'm only just figuring out my subplots, I've got Naruto's ,Sasuke's and Kakashi's but not Sakura's. It's annoying.)

All questions addressed in this chapter by Kakashi and Naruto will be answered by the time this story ends! Well, except for Naruto's "Who is my father?", sorry. Everything will be clear as this story progresses, don't worry!

Naruto will be in some extreme internal conflict, and Sasuke will be pivotal to his decisions. Just throwing that out there. Their relationship and way they interact will change a lot. It's going to be interesting writing them out now.

Anyway, please REVIEW! They are wonderful motivations to write faster.

**Review Responses:**

**PuppetMaster55: **Thank you! :) I've been planning that scene from the beginning; I hoped I got everything concerning his emotions. Was it a bit dramatic?

**KaliAnn: **That's cool, I am checking it out! And yes, they will go through a lot in trying to stop Rasputin, I can guarantee that. Naruto, especially. Poor guy, how I torture him so! *Maniacal laugh* ;)

**serin2: **Thanks for the advice on paragraphs; I had it in mind when writing this chapter. Is this one better concerning that? As for Naruto, he has asked about his father now, but is not going to get any answers. At least, not in this story.

**notgonnasay09: **Thank you! :D I was worried about that chapter, I thought I had maybe made it a bit much concerning Naruto's emotions. The real conflict and such will happen next chapter, and it'll finally start to tie together.

**Uchiha Kiara: **Thanks! :) Enjoy the story!

See you all next time!)


	8. Chapter 7: Encounter

(**A/N: **Here's chapter 7! I would like to start everything off by wishing a Happy New Year to all my readers. Have a wonderful 2011! Thanks for sticking by this story into the next year!

This chapter finally has some action. Rasputin shows his face, and some mysteries are on the way of being solved. Naruto is going to need some help, and is going to receive some special training to get prepared for this situation. Some new characters will show up soon, if you looked at the previous chapters carefully, as well as remembering what happens in "Anastasia", you'll know who they are.

Thanks to all my alerters, **Amber Ice Fox, angelrey, Burning DragonSword, D-trav, DIGIFAN99, Dream-Fighter-1556, Glennis, jArCaLvIn0o9, JoshRand1982, Kyuuki-sama, LinkOOT,****Maelynae, matsumotomoon, ragnrock kyuubi, ranger5, RasenShuriken92, serin2, shawndeep, suntan140, Uchiha Kiara, **and** wolfey141.**

Thanks to all the people who favorited, **chaos uzumaki, Chaotical , Dark Signer, Dear Agony1996, dracohalo117, Dragonblaze66 , Dream-Fighter-1556, EdelyneElric, Ethial, jArCaLvIn0o9, Kine X , Kronos Titan of time , kyuubi233, locolycan777, nn-9, notgonnasay09, odin 1eye, Princess Lena aka Lady Kittuna, ragnrock kyuubi, RasenShuriken92, shikarimon, stc-dragon, Uchiha Kiara, will1by2 **and** xXImperfectionXx7.**

Thank you **Diablo200030002002, notgonnasay09, Uchiha Kiara, KaliAnn, Dream-Fighter-1556, ** **Kidan Yoshilda, Randomized,** and** Laxarius **for reviewing! They are a great way of motivating me to write more.

Here we go…Enjoy!)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto or Anastasia. If I did own Naruto, Madaraa would be eaten by a rabid Chihuahua and everybody would live happily ever after (Sasuke being released from Madaraa mind control.) So it's probably a good thing that I don't own it.

^^^Indicates scene change^^^

Once Upon a December: Uzumaki Style!

Chapter 7: Encounter

Naruto leapt right into the fray. There was no time to think, only time for action. And that's what Naruto did best.

_Thrust, parry, leap, stab…_

Their current opponent was tall and skeletal. His face was lifted in a self-satisfying smirk, and he'd brought what looked like an entire army of green-faced, mindless minions. Even though he himself was one of them, he seemed different. More intelligent, more independent. He was definitely the leader here.

The army started towards the group, walking like they were the living dead. Each step was labored and cautious, as if not sure where to go. They were fierce when they started to attack, though. And if the bright flashes of light in the distance were any indication, more were coming.

And that's what put Naruto on destroy-all-that-moves mode.

_Dodge, leap, slash, parry…_

They were bringing out numbers? Well, two could play at that game.

"KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!"

Over fifty clones popped into existence and started contributing to the immediate termination of the army. This was one of the many times Naruto was thankful for them. They were definitely useful in this situation.

Kakashi-sensei appeared to be dueling with the leader. Naruto knew how skilled his sensei was, and it seemed that his opponent was truly strong to be able to match blows with him. So far, they seemed to be in a stalemate. Although, nobody could really tell, as the battle there was moving so quickly it was a blur.

Sasuke was fighting furiously, wiping out the zombie-like shinobi en masse using his katon jutsu. He was tiring, however, if the perspiration shining on his face was anything to go by.

"KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!"

About a hundred clones puffed through a cloud of smoke, and leapt into battle as one.

_Jump, duck, kick, slash, punch…_

Sakura was gasping for breath, her hands tightened around her kunai as if to keep her balance. She'd never had much stamina, and Naruto could see that she wouldn't last much longer.

It didn't look like the zombie-army would be stopping anytime soon, their numbers were multiplying drastically. It seemed like they were pouring out where the seal was situated. That made sense, but there were so _many _of these things. Where would you get all the chakra to transport all of them? If you had the amounts, how could you _control _all of that? What were they, anyway?

Naruto gritted his teeth, bringing up his fingers into the cross-shaped seal. He had to end this. Now.

He concentrated all the chakra he had left onto the seal. He felt the pressure on his mind, the chakra that was pouring into the jutsu was going to explode out from it…

"KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!" Naruto yelled, for the third and final time.

_**POOF**_

The whole battlefield erupted in a torrent of smoke. Fights were halted, and every ninja was blinded for a few seconds by the sheer amount of thick, gray smoke.

After a few second's disorientation, everybody shook out the smoke from their eyes and watched apprehensively to discover the source of it. The smoke cleared slowly and revealed what it had hidden to a rather startled crowd.

There were over a thousand clones standing around the battlefield. They were easily the largest number Naruto had never made.

The original seemed to be in the middle of it, bent over a little and breathing heavily. He straightened up after a second and raised his arm, a fiery sort of light burning in his eyes.

"ATTACK!"

And with those words, the world resumed its movement. The zombie army tried to reassert itself as the main body of chaos, but the clones outnumbered them twenty to one. They were like a wave of destruction, and mowed down almost half the zombie-like forces instantly. They weren't very hard to destroy, but there were so many that it was nearly impossible for them to be wiped out.

However, total destruction was not the only plan.

The leader of the zombie army had realized this a few minutes later. He turned, twisting his mouth into a snarl as he figured out exactly what Naruto was planning to do. "No!" He growled.

Kakashi backhanded him around the mouth before he could get any further than a simple denial, however.

Naruto's clones had seemed, up to this point, to be only taking out as many of the enemy as they could. A decent amount had been converging in the middle of the battlefield, unseen, and had grouped around the cause of their enemy's current advantage. They paired up, one making a series of hand gestures over the palm of the other. Only those who had seen it before knew it was the Rasengan.

Rasengan formed, half the clones raised their arms, while the others disappeared in a puff of smoke…

"NO!" Snarled the green-faced leader again, suddenly slashing at the palm of his right hand. Blood trickling down his fingers, he slammed his hand face down on the ground just before the shadow clones lowered their arms.

"RANSENGAN!"

_**BOOM**_

The explosion was phenomenal. Almost twenty rasengans slammed into the earth at once, completely obliterating the ground and the seals that marked it. Sasuke blinked, and then understood that what Naruto had just done had won them their victory. That was a strangely cunning thing to do, although it was done in the most dobe-like way possible.

A shadow clone (presumably, it was hard to tell which one was the original) stepped out of the crowd, and grinned at the livid green-faced leader. He grinned. "Well, no way to bring out anymore, huh?"

The clones had completely destroyed what was left of the seals. The seals that had summoned them all to the Whirlpool Village, the ones that were transporting all these zombie creatures back and forth, were utterly destroyed. The symbols had disappeared, they were beyond saving now.

The green-faced leader clawed at the ground, leading Kakashi to quickly restrain him and win the battle. The man didn't seem to care, however, and only cried "I'm sorry, Master! Please forgive me!"

Slightly alarmed at this behavior, Kakashi scanned the battlefield, watching the last of the now-leaderless zombies get destroyed by his team and shadow clones. Thanks to Naruto's tactic of halting their numbers, they were now much easier to kill. If they were even alive to begin with. And, as they had exploded into white goo as they were stabbed, Kakashi very much doubted that they were human at all.

Done with their work, the shadow clones disappeared, leaving the original in the middle of the field, hunched over and face gleaming with perspiration. He was breathing heavily and looked exhausted. Kakashi wasn't surprised, really. Naruto had summoned more shadow clones than he had ever thought humanly possible, and formed about twenty rasengans doing so. Kakashi strongly suspected the involvement of Kyuubi-chakra, but decided to confront him about that later.

Suddenly, the green-faced man in his grasp stiffened slightly. Kakashi shot him a quick glance, and was startled to see a large grin spread across the skeletal face.

"Got you." He whispered, and then melted into a puddle of white goo. Kakashi jumped up immediately, only to see a small, dark shadow dash under him and disappear.

Kakashi did _not _like the look of this. "Team!" He barked quickly. "Let's…"

"There'll be no need for retreat, Kakashi Hatake."

The cool voice sounded from somewhere behind him. Kakashi whirled around, kunai at the ready, his heart beating frantically. He hadn't sensed anybody come up behind him.

Standing there, framed by the light of the noonday sun, was a tall, thin figure. His stature wasn't much to gawk at, but there was rather distinct aura of menace and power surrounding it. His face was hidden behind a brown woolen cloak, and his voice was raspy, yet held a tone of command and arrogance. In short, this was not a person to be messed with.

The figure pushed down the hood of his cloak in a fluid motion, revealing his face and narrow, skeletal features. At his shoulder sat a small bat, who was gazing maliciously at the group surrounding them. The figure turned his attention from Kakashi to the stiffened figure standing a fair distance behind him.

The skeletal face lit up with a strange expression. "Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto looked up into his face, and his own features were suddenly full of a raging fury.

**^^^POV change^^^**

Naruto had known the instant he'd the heard the voice. He'd been frozen for a second, wondering _how _because he'd been so _careful _to destroy that barrier so that nothing else could get through…

Then _it _had said his name, and he looked up to see the skeletal features that had haunted his dreams. (Memories, it had turned out) The thin lips were stretched out into a small smile, and long-fingered hands stroked his lengthy, dark beard thoughtfully. The dark, piercing eyes were staring right into his own, shining malevolently with some fervent light that Naruto did not understand.

He didn't need to understand, however. The minute those eyes locked with his, he filled up with a horrible, indescribable _anger _that seemed to take over his body. His chakra churned with a bright power, nearly all the stores he had access too were already drained, and his mind reached out for _more, _the dormant power he knew existed down there somewhere…

He was running down a sewer, his rapid footfalls echoing across the walls. He didn't, couldn't, think of why he was here. He didn't even consider wanting to be here. He just ran for the source of power he could feel radiating off a short distance away. He rushed straight for it, and arrived at an enormous cage, the depths of which were glowing with an eerie red light that illuminated the evil, crimson eyes. They seemed to beckon him forward.

Naruto took one step forward. Then another. He continued to make his way across to the bars of the cage, all his being focused on _arriving _there and doing…

Doing what?

For a moment, Naruto hesitated. For a crucial second, he paused, foot partly lifted from the dripping water, unwanted thoughts of doubt and worry invading his mind.

"NARUTO!"

The voice echoed through the chamber. "Naruto! It's him!"

_Sasuke…_

All other thoughts vanished from Naruto's mind. With renewed vigor, he took another step towards the dark cage, and that final step brought him inside. A glowing red light surrounded him. It hurt, but he didn't care. His whole being was screaming out one name, the one he'd come to hate the most…

"RASPUTIN!"

**^^^POV change^^^**

Sakura watched in horror as Naruto's face contorted into an expression of hatred and fury. He still had his eyes locked to the man in front of him, and they were burning with something Sakura had only seen in Sasuke before…

"NARUTO!" Sakura jumped slightly and whirled around, only to see Sasuke staring fiercely at Naruto. "Naruto! It's him!"

Sasuke's expression scared Sakura almost as much as Naruto's. It was almost passionate, ignited in a flaming anger and rage and..._something_…Sakura didn't recognize.

She heard Kakashi-sensei murmur a "_Not _good!" somewhere beside her. Naruto's eyes snapped up and, to her alarm, she saw that they had turned a blood red, with slits where his pupils were supposed to go. The stranger, however, did not seem affected by this. He merely watched, something of an amused smirk gracing his lips.

An ominous humming noise filled the air, and Sakura suddenly couldn't breathe, choking on an aura of hate and _evil_…

Red chakra was swirling around the spot Naruto was standing in. It was twirling above him in spirals, forming nine long streaks above him. Another strong burst of chakra blew everybody a few meters away. Everybody except for the stranger, who was still calm, watching.

Naruto lifted his head back and roared, teeth suddenly lengthening as he screamed out a single name…

"RASPUTIN!"

An explosion of red chakra blew Sakura off her feet. Looking up, she saw that the chakra had covered Naruto like a cloak. It was as if it had a mind of its own, thin tendrils of red chakra were crawling over Naruto's skin and clamping down on him. He looked absolutely feral.

Sakura would never normally admit it, but she was terrified. Utterly terrified.

**^^^POV change^^^**

_Damn it! _

Kakashi watched on with growing horror as the scene unfolded. Sakura was rooted to the spot, eyes wide and trembling. Sasuke had snapped out of the state he'd been in moments before, looking stunned.

_How could things have gone wrong so __**quickly? **_

Naruto looked like he was being covered with the Kyuubi's chakra. It covered him like a cloak, and even included a tail.

_Has this ever happened before?_

It was surreal. Kakashi had never seen anything quite like it before.

_I need to stop this. Immediately._

Naruto had indeed straightened up, his now-red eyes flashing dangerously. They were fixed with the stranger's own eyes. Apparently, this was Rasputin. Kakashi had seriously underestimated Naruto's reaction to the whole thing. This was _bad. _

Rasputin chuckled. "Interesting. Very interesting. You have resorted to using this so quickly." He didn't seem fazed in the least.

Naruto growled again, and with a speed none could discern, slammed his arm into the ground, causing a ten-meter wide crater to form around him.

_Damn it! _

Kakashi turned to the other two. "Get out of here!"

_Too late._

An explosion blew them off their feet. The two before them had started to fight, and nobody could make out exactly what was going on. Both opponents were a blur of red and black and gray, and the landscape around them was starting to change dramatically.

Kakashi looked on hopelessly. He couldn't think of anything he could do now. It was too late to take action. A sudden chuckle at his heels distracted him. He looked down to find the bat-creature that had been on Rasputin's shoulder grin up toothily at him. "Let's continue, shall we?"

Kakashi leapt into a battle position. The bat smirked, and crouched down on the ground, making…hand signs? It sneered once more, before driving its paw into the ground. An outpouring of smoke filled out before Kakashi's eyes, and when it had blown away he saw the distinct shapes of many people…

_Uh-oh._

They could do not a repeat of this battle. Not without Naruto. The shadow clones had been the advantage last time, and they had lost it now. Sasuke grimaced, taking out a kunai. Sakura, however, remained frozen.

As the figures converged on them, Kakashi heard her scream out a desperate cry of "NARUTO!"

Everything went black.

TBC

(**A/N: ** Well, what do you think? Was it good? I know it was a little short, but the action has definitely begun.

I have to apologize for the lateness of this chapter. I have my semester exams coming up soon, so it will probably take a while for the next chapter to come out. I'm sorry! This isn't going to be abandoned, however, so be on the lookout for more!

Oh yes, and the whole thing with the zombie army? That will be revealed next chapter (as well as some of the mysteries of Rasputin)

Please REVIEW, they're much appreciated. Thanks!

**Review Responses:**

**Diablo200030002002: **Thanks! And I know what you mean, I couldn't believe it in canon that all these people had known his parents and had never said anything about it. I guess it's because he's such a forgiving guy that he didn't comment on it. And yes, if he finds out about his dad at this stage in this story, it would be messy. Very messy XD

**notgonnasay09: **Thanks for the advice! :) I have worked out Sakura's role in the story. It won't be big (at least, there won't be a huge effort on her part) but it will be essential to the plot. Because even though she isn't very important here, she is a big part of the canon universe and she's Naruto's love interest (thus far…) I'm planning out a sequel, but I'll have to see the overall reaction to this story to decide to write one or not. Thanks again! XD

**Uchiha Kiara: **Thank you! XD The action has begun, how was that? I love cliffhangers, by the way. Just a warning! *cackles evilly* XD

**KaliAnn: **Heh, thanks. I guess he would act slightly differently if he was that conflicted. Also, yes, he fears he's turning into Sasuke. Sasuke is encouraging the revenge option, and he respects him a lot, so he doesn't quite know what to do at this point. Poor guy! :D By the way, I watched your youtube video. It's quite good, where did you get that version of the song?

**Dream-Fighter-1556: **Yay! You're back! :D No problem on not reviewing, I'm happy to hear from you now. On Sakura, I like the way you think XD (I'm not a big fan either) but unfortunately, I don't think I will kill her off. Although, sending her to the hospital is so very tempting…XD. By the way, your English is quite good, so don't worry about it. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Thanks for the review! :)

**Kidan Yoshilda: **I suppose you're right, Naruto is just changing according to the situation. And yes, this is very much Alternate Universe. (imagine if it happened in canon…wow.) Thanks for the review! XD

**Randomized: **First of all, love the pen name. XD. As for Naruto seeing his mother again, I doubt it will happen. At least, not blatantly. (Yes, I'm being mysterious…you'll see what I mean in later chapters! XD) Thanks for the compliments! :)

**Laxarius: **Thanks for the idea! I will definitely be planning something along those lines, and she will play an important role in a while. It's going to be a whole mental battle of Sasuke vs Sakura. (There might not be a winner, Naruto usually does not pick between friends :D)

See you all next time!)


	9. Chapter 8: In the Dark of the Night

(**A/N: **Chapter 8 is here! My semester exams are finally over, and I can concentrate on updating this some more :) Hopefully, the rate of updates will increase and I'll be able to crank out more chapters faster. Also, anybody who's following my other stories, they are on hold. Check my profile for details.

This chapter is going to be fun :) Despite some serious and life-threatening situations, it's going to be pretty fun and keep a light-hearted tone. It's just not a dark story, even with the revenge theme. Even at the serious moments, it'll still be upbeat. You'll see what I mean soon. The now-almost-definite sequel will be more serious, so to all readers who prefer that, bear with me. To all those who like the non-seriousness of this, enjoy this next section.

Thanks to all the alterters, **Apfane Chan, soprano-in-waiting, MidnightMoonMurderer, BemmyBean, **and **JJB91.**

Thanks to all the favoriters, **naruto789987 **and **MoonShadow7117**.

And a huge thank you to the people who reviewed: **Amber Ice Fox, notgonnasay09, soprano-in-waiting, KaliAnn, **and **Kronos Titan of time**, who inspired the little omake you will see below :)

Enjoy! :D)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto or Anastasia. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto and Twentieth Century Fox respectively. And I am neither. Same goes for the song "In the Dark of the Night" and the song I use in the omake. (Not mentioned as not to spoil the surprise.)

^^^Indicates scene change^^^

"_Italics with quotation marks" _indicate singing

Once Upon a December: Uzumaki Style!

Chapter 8: In the Dark of the Night 

Kakashi woke slowly. Slowly and painfully.

He groaned inwardly as he felt his head throb. '_Great' _He thought to himself. '_I got knocked out again. That's the thirtieth time. Another one for Gai's tally.' _He blinked blearily for a few seconds, examining his surroundings reflexively. He seemed to be in some sort of underground cave room. It wasn't very big, maybe about the size of the Hokage's office, with an exit leading to the rest of the cave. The walls were small, gray and unadorned.

Kakashi did a small double take as his eyes landed on two of his students. Sasuke and Sakura were still unconscious, hanging from the walls by their wrists, which were securely fastened by chains. Looking up, he realized that he was in the same position. Kakashi blinked slowly as something occurred to him. _'Where's Naruto?'_

It all came back to him in an instant. The hooded figure, talking bat, huge zombie army, red demon-like eyes that had once been blue, seals getting destroyed by Rasengans, and Rasputin. It was easy to see now that they had been captured. At least, three of them had been. Naruto was nowhere to be found. Unless, maybe they had him in a different room? Or maybe he was…?

No. That couldn't be possible. If it was true, Kakashi was pretty sure that they would be dead too. The only reason they had for Rasputin to keep them alive was bait for Naruto. He'd probably gotten away. It was now Kakashi's job to make sure that they joined him.

_Okay. Think. Focus._

Kakashi tested the chains on his wrists. They were solid, and barely allowed for wrist movement. There wouldn't be any chance of hand signs. He still had some apparatus around his person, however. Tools that would get him out of situations like this. Kakashi leisurely moved his ankles, and noted that they were unchained. He grinned in satisfaction, and slowly began to lift his foot up against the wall.

It was halfway up when Kakashi heard quick footsteps echoing down to the room. He yanked his foot back down just as a tall figure swept into the room with a grace that was disconcerting. Kakashi hissed. "Rasputin. How nice of you to drop by."

Rasputin inclined his head and smirked. "The pleasure is mine, Kakashi Hatake. Trust me, I've been waiting for a chance like this for a very long time." He chuckled. "I'm sure you know what I mean. Talking bats and the undead generally aren't good for conversation."

Kakashi blinked slowly. "The undead?" He queried lightly. "I can see why they would be unsocial. Though the talking bat seems chatty enough." Undead? Kakashi really didn't know what to make of _that. _Could it be something like Orochimaru's jutsu? Because if it was, they were in much more trouble than he could handle, seeing as this had nearly taken down the Third Hokage himself. Now he could focus on grilling Rasputin for information, because there were some mysteries that needed to be solved. Rasputin chuckled. "Oh, Bartok was quite talkative. He just didn't know when to stop. So I took care of that, as he wasn't one for intelligent conversation either."

Kakashi didn't want to consider the implications of _that _statement. He plowed on hurriedly "Talking bat, huh? How did that come about?" Rasputin gave him a look, and grinned very suddenly. "That," he began "is a long story. A very long story. I suppose you would like to know the specifics of everything? You would want to hear this, as you won't be alive much longer. Wouldn't be better to know everything before you go? Naruto will need someone to explain when he joins you."

Kakashi ground his teeth furiously. "Why?" He spat out disgustedly. "Why are you so determined to get Naruto? What is so important that an entire clan has to die, even if one hadn't been born yet? He's thirteen; he hasn't even been raised as an Uzumaki. Why do you want this so badly?"

Rasputin chuckled, however it didn't quite reach his eyes. "It's not a question of whether I want it or not. Not anymore." Kakashi raised an eyebrow, glancing almost impetuously at his captor. "Oh? May I ask why not? You are the one calling the shots here, you know. I'd say it was about what you…"

A sudden crack and burning cheek interrupted his sentence. Rasputin was standing over him, looking particularly murderous. He leaned over Kakashi, stopping right above his ear. "You have no idea" He hissed slowly. "You don't know what this is about. So just…Shut. Up." His voice wasn't raised, there was no sign of obvious anger in his voice, but the aura of menace surrounding him was so thick and strained it was almost palpable. It was oddly reminiscent of the Kyuubi's chakra.

Kakashi didn't say anything, mentally noting: _Unstable. Unpredictable. Emotional. Oh, wonderful. He's a nutcase._ Rasputin straightened deliberately, all traces of anger disappearing instantly. _Bipolar too. Damn._

"I don't have a choice in this anymore." Rasputin said blandly, any emotion once there was gone. "It is my life's purpose. I must get rid of the Uzumaki, obliterate every last one of them. It is no concern to me who it is I'm destroying." He smiled, flashing a grin that sent shivers going down Kakashi's back. "I sold my soul, you see." He said matter-of-factly. "That night, when I vowed to destroy them all. I performed a jutsu of my own making, one that granted me immeasurable power, but at the cost of my life and my will. I am now bound by my vow, and I cannot rest until it is fulfilled." He sighed slightly. "I was granted Bartok by accident. A bat happened to be passing overhead that night. It got hit with…something."

Rasputin's eyes grew hungry. "It's not all bad, though. If I can wipe out the Uzumaki, I will be granted my will again. As well as immortality, and my powers will remain."

Kakashi recognized the signs of one who was grasping at the straws, who was desperate of some measure of control to remain. He also saw an immense hunger for power that dominated the need for control. That, along with the situation and the fact that Rasputin was trying to kill his student, did not allow Kakashi to sympathize. "And the army?" He inquired thoughtfully. "Are they part of your 'jutsu' too?"

Rasputin grinned menacingly. "Yes, those are quite special. The chakra control granted to me combined with the Whirlpool Village's superior knowledge of seals resulted in that. It's similar to Impure World Resurrection, but takes away all semblances of control and memory from the subject. It's easier to perform, but the subject doesn't retain knowledge of clan jutsu or others unknown to the summoner. These undead fight until the chakra in their system literally runs out but they are quite deadly, not to mention unwaveringly loyal. There still is one strange side effect…" Rasputin stroked his small beard thoughtfully. "They have green faces. While it is an interesting trademark, it's unusual. I never have been able to get around that."

Kakashi paid close attention to the explanation; his mind automatically trying to come up with ways to get around such a technique, analyzing strengths and weaknesses that it might have, and comparing it to those he and his team had. He didn't come up with a great assessment for their side. So far, he was seeing superior planning, strength, and experience for the opposition. _Damn. We're screwed._

He needed to call for backup as soon as possible. To do so he needed to escape, or get one of his students out. They needed to group up with Naruto as well as sending a message to Konoha. Effective immediately. For now, Kakashi could only focus on getting those little getaway tools he had stashed in his shoe. He would wait for Rasputin to leave, and then work on that.

A groan interrupted his thoughts. Sasuke was stirring slightly, eyes fluttering as he fought to regain consciousness. Rasputin smirked, sending a look of glee at the awakening student. "This is the Uchiha? I had better prepare my welcome, then."

Kakashi froze. "What are you going to do?" Various scenarios ran through his mind, none of them pleasant at all. To his surprise, Rasputin merely gave him a look as if guessing his thoughts, and gave a barely suppressed snicker. "You forget that I am also of the Whirlpool Village, Kakashi Hatake."

Kakashi frowned, not understanding this strange statement, but felt his eyes widen when he heard something that was definitely out of the ordinary begin to echo around the cave. He shook his head in disbelief and muted horror.

_No_

This couldn't possibly be happening. Rasputin couldn't do _that. _It was unbelievable, too cruel and crazy even for a total nutcase like him. Rasputin smirked _again _as he saw Kakashi's reaction, and performed a few hand signs to disappear from sight.

Sasuke was shaking his head at this stage, trying to clear it properly. Upon gaining his bearings, he peered confusedly around the cave, staring at the strange mist that was seemingly coming from nowhere. Kakashi groaned. _Oh no…_ "Sasuke!" He yelled, sounding like he had a frog stuck in his throat. "Sasuke! Be careful, he's going too…"

Sasuke, still confused, grimaced when his befuddled brain recognized the sounds that had been booming out. It was _music…_

A low humming filled the air, and out of the surrounding mist stepped a tall figure, an intimidating expression on his face. He towered over his captives, eyes darting towards the disoriented thirteen-year-old on the ground. An evil grin spread across his face, and he opened his mouth and started to _sing…_

"_In the dark of the night I was tossing and turning,_

_And the nightmare I had was as bad as can be."_

Kakashi couldn't believe it. Rasputin was actually doing this. He groaned, quietly cursing the ways of the Whirlpool, half-disgusted and half-amused. A glance at the pale, slightly shaking Sasuke showed that he was falling for this. He was actually falling for it.

Next to him, Sakura had come around and was staring around perplexedly. Her eyes alighted on the singing Rasputin and she stared on.

"_It scared me out of my wits. A corpse falling to bits!_

_Then I opened my eyes and the nightmare was ME!"_

Rasputin grinned, and whirled around quickly, allowing his head to separate from his shoulders and bounce around. Bones clattered, the head rolled, and Sakura screamed. Kakashi blinked. _Genjutsu? _He thought, frowning a little. Maybe…but Rasputin certainly wasn't normal. It might not be.

"_I was once the most powerful man in all Uzu,_

_When the royals betrayed me, they made a mistake._

_My curse made each of them pay. But one little child got away!_

_Naruto beware, Rasputin's awake!"_

Kakashi decided then and there that this guy had issues. He was still smarting about his past, and dealt with it by killing people. And singing. He was off his rocker, and that made him dangerous.

Bartok the bat came flying in and began to sing along, much to the surprise and distress of the two students.

"_In the dark of the night, evil will find him,_

_In the dark of the night, just before dawn._

_Revenge will be sweet when the curse is complete!_

_In the dark of the night he'll be gone!"_

Sasuke had fully awakened by now, and had grasped their situation and the strangeness of it. He looked completely disgusted, and kept muttering something about "damn Whirlpool village and their damn singing" and Sakura just looked startled.

"_I can feel that my powers are slowly returning._

_Tie my sash and a dash of cologne for that smell!_

_As the pieces fall into place_

_I'll see him crawl into place!_

_Sayonara, Naruto Uzumaki. Farewell!"_

Now THAT was plain disturbing. Rasputin was just too obsessed with killing Naruto, and Kakashi really worried for the kid's future. He really had too many people after him, more than was normal for a ninja.

"_In the dark of the night terror will strike him!_

_Terror's the least I can do!_

_In the dark of the night evil will brew._

_Soon he will feel that his nightmares are real._

_In the dark of the night he'll be through!"_

Just beyond the small cave entrance, Kakashi sensed rather than saw movement. He heard the shuffling of many feet; saw small dark shadows moving near the cave room opening. Distancing himself from the distractions of the singing, he focused on the movement.

"_In the dark of the night_

_Evil will find him_

_In the dark of the night terror comes true._

_Doomed child, here's a sign - _

_It's the end of the line!"_

Kakashi suddenly realized what the presence beyond the door was. His eyes widened, and he started as the zombie army slowly began to come into the room. About five entered, but that seemed to suit Rasputin's purposes just fine. Sakura screamed again and Sasuke paled, both having been unconscious for the explanation of what those were. Kakashi shook his head disgustedly at the man, who seemed to get his kicks out of frightening children. And killing them too.

"_Come my minions, _

_Rise for your master,_

_Let your evil shine!_

_Find him now,_

_Yes, go ever faster"_

Rasputin looked at Kakashi as he said this, and Kakashi realized that this particular demonstration was for him. He was sending the entire army after Naruto, and he was really trying to kill him. He was even confident enough about his success that he was singing. Mad as the man was, he was smart and powerful. This was a message to him. _Your move Hatake. _

"_In the dark of the night..._

_In the dark of the night..._

_In the dark of the night..._

_He'll be mine!"_

Kakashi gritted his teeth. This was serious, music and singing aside. He felt the wall behind him with his foot, ready to get his tools out of his shoe when the opportunity presented itself.

The silence following the last notes of the song was deafening. Rasputin looked pleased with himself, satisfied at the negativity and hopelessness his little demonstration conveyed. He turned to leave, motioning with his finger to all his lackeys to do the same. Halfway to the entrance, Rasputin turned to his stunned audience and gave Kakashi a small smirk. "Hatake-san," He said snidely "When you were brought in, we took the liberty of removing some very interesting items that were found in your shoe. Just thought you would want to know."

Rasputin cackled and swept from the room, leaving Kakashi with the feeling like he'd been kicked in the stomach. Glancing at his students, Kakashi knew he had o come up with a Plan B, and fast.

Lost in his thoughts, Kakashi couldn't help but wonder: _Naruto, where are you?_

**^^^ scene change^^^**

The comforting sound of the leaves rustling the wind woke him. Blinking, Naruto sat up, yawning, and leaned back against a tree, listening to the sounds of the forest. They always soothed him, and made him feel better when he was down.

Naruto lifted an arm up to his face to rub his eyes, when something stopped him. He looked down at his arm, staring in shock at the large, dark burns covering them. He felt sick. What…?

Everything came back in an instant. Naruto bolted upright and stood up, ignoring the burning pain on his legs. The last thing he remembered was seeing Rasputin and getting angry. After that, it was all blurry, but he supposed he got knocked out. Sasuke was sure going to love this. Wherever he was.

Naruto stiffened as he realized that he didn't see anybody he knew. He was in a strange forest in the middle of nowhere, with no idea of how he got there and who was around him. He sucked in a breath. This was bad. He needed to find somebody to direct him somewhere, and then start a search for his friends. And maybe send for backup, as Kakashi-sensei had wanted to do.

Naruto glanced around, wondering where he was supposed to go. He whirled around and made for the nearest tree, deciding to dash up it and get his bearings. When he reached the tree, he concentrated his chakra to his feet, frowning as it took him more time than it should have. He winced, feeling the burns sting as he moved his legs towards the large tree and swung his foot on the trunk.

A blinding pain exploded in his legs. With a gasp, Naruto crumpled to the ground, unable to move. He curled up on the forest floor, panting a little, slightly bewildered as to what had just happened. His wounds surely weren't _that _serious, and they usually healed right away. What was going on?

Naruto stiffened as he heard the sound of footsteps on the forest floor. He was internally debating whether or not to ask for help when his heart was attacked with a burning pain. Hissing, he grabbed at his chest and forced himself not to make a sound.

The pain in his heart wouldn't stop. It just increased, up to the point where Naruto wasn't even thinking anymore and just willing away the pain. He didn't even fully comprehend the footsteps make their way up to him, nor the voice that said. "You all right, kid?"

Naruto felt his eyes filling up with tears of pain. Finally, unable to hold on anymore, he fell into unconsciousness yet again.

TBC

(A/N: I hope that made sense. I was planning to explain a lot about Rasputin here, and I want to make it clear that he's not your average villain. Also, I hope Naruto wasn't too out of character, but he has been through a lot recently and thinks a lot more.

Anyway, please REVIEW and tell me what you think! Thanks!

**OMAKE**

Kakashi started at Rasputin. Rasputin stared back, an evil grin on his face. Kakashi was pale and shaking, knowing what was to come.

"You _monster."_

"I try, Hatake-san. Now, tell me where the boy is."

"NEVER!"

"Then you leave me no choice."

Kakashi whimpered as Rasputin knelt down and pressed PLAY on his CD player. The music sounded out, and Rasputin began to sing.

"_You get the limo out front_

_Hottest styles, every shoe, every color_

_Yeah, when you're famous it can be kinda fun_

_It's really you but no one ever discovers._

_In some ways you're just like all your friends_

_But on stage you're a star"_

Kakashi screamed. "NOOO! Stop it, PLEASE! I beg of you!"

Rasputin gave him a 'you-brought-this-on-yourself ' look. He grinned wider, happy that this new form of torture could even make the Copycat Ninja scream in terror.

"_You get the best of both worlds_

_Chill it out, take it slow_

_Then you rock out the show…"_

Suddenly, the walls exploded inwards. Bits of shrapnel flew everywhere, one even landing on the CD player and blasting it into pieces.

Rasputin roared in anger at the destruction of his CD player and torture device. "Who's there?" He yelled. "Show yourself!"

Naruto stood at the entrance of the explosion, a stick of dynamite in his hand. He looked grim and carried an enormous scroll. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei. Sorry it took so long, but I got called over by Ero-Senin. We…"

Kakashi growled. "Never mind that! Just get rid of him!"

Rasputin was furious. "How DARE you blow up my wall?"

Naruto shrugged. "I didn't." He said, holding up the stick of unlit dynamite. "I was about to, but I think your music did the job for me."

Rasputin glowered at Naruto. "You will lose, boy. Do you honestly think you can defeat me? Give me your best shot, and you'll see."

Naruto grinned, looking like his normal happy self again. "Dude, you are SO going down!" He pulled out his scroll. "Wanna know why I got called out? The Inuzuka discovered Madaraa Uchiha's weakness. Ero-Senin and I put this scroll together and defeated him. If he went down, you will too."

Naruto bit into his thumb, opened the scroll, and spread the blood over it. With a puff of smoke and a cry of "Summoning Jutsu!" the contents were revealed.

There, in the light of the small cave-room, where a pack of Chihuahuas. Vicious, rabid, foaming-at-the-mouth Chihuahuas.

Naruto pointed at Rasputin. "GET HIM!"

The Chihuahuas barked and pounced as one, landing on Rasputin and nibbling at his face.

"NOO!" Rasputin screamed, his voice echoing onto the grounds beyond.

**END OMAKE**

That was courtesy of **Kronos Titan of time, **who gave me the idea. Thanks :)

**Review Responses:**

**Amber Ice Fox: **Hehe. I really am horrible about cliffhangers. The climax is coming up, probably in three or four chapters. Thanks for the review! :D

**notgonnasay09: **Thanks :) Rasputin was summoned by Bartok in his zombie-form, if you managed to catch that. I'm sorry if that wasn't clear. And the revenge-vision will definitely be important for later.

**soprano-in-waiting: **Thanks for the compliments, I'm always glad to leave smiles :) The plot still has a ways to go, and Sasuke is an interesting character, isn't he? Thanks again :D

**KaliAnn: **Thank you :D I really enjoyed writing that battle, even though battle scenes aren't my forte. Rasputin does have a definite advantage now, but Naruto isn't finished yet.

**Kronos Titan of time: **Thanks :) I'm glad you're finding Naruto is believable enough. Naruto _could _have gone two-tails, but that would have ended that battle pretty quickly, huh? I'm saving some of that for later, and don't worry, Naruto will have plenty of opportunities of ass-kickage in the future. Kakashi is being a bit standoffish, but he isn't really wonderful with dealing with feelings, so he wouldn't really do much there. Also, the rookies won't feature, but Sasuke and Sakura will be important. Sasuke more so. They're all thirteen here, and Rasputin is pretty darn impossible to rank about now. I'd say he could go head-to-head with Orochimaru, and maybe some Akatsuki, so maybe an A or S rank. The Akatsuki won't show up in this story, but they will probably be in the maybe-sequel. Thanks for the omake idea, by the way. XD Loved the image so much I just HAD to write it. Thanks again! XD

See you all next time!)


	10. Chapter 9: Heart

**(A/N: **Yeah, chapter 9 is out. I'm really happy at all the positivity my last chapter received; you guys seem to think it was the best one. Thanks, I appreciate you telling me so :) I hope I'm able to keep it up, and up the quality a little more. I always have a goal to make my next chapter better than the last.

Anyone read the Naruto chapter 529? **(SPOILER ALERT) **NARUTO'S FINALLY BACK! But it was only for about one page! (Pouts angrily) WHY? **(END SPOILER)**

Ok, there's going to be some medical lingo here. I don't know a thing about medicine and symptoms, so please bear with me. If I am grossly incorrect, then please tell me. "Tachycardia" is a condition where the heart isn't beating at a normal pace or rhythm, by the way. I've also made some small changes to the previous chapter, some of which are reflected here.

The beginning of this may seem a little disjointed, but it does make sense. If you're confused, let me know and I'll tell you what's going on.

Now, let's pick up where this left off. Enjoy! XD

Thanks to **KritianLOVE** and **Uzumaki Crossover **for the alerts, and **tsunade senju**, **MissMom, Katy2012 **(thanks for that author fave too! :D) and **serin2** for the favorites. And thanks to **Sailor Moon1996**, **nautilus4357** and **Karishiana** for adding this story to your communities!

And a big, BIG thanks to **KaliAnn**, **Kronos Titan of time**, **notgonnasay09**, **Amber Ice Fox**, **Kidan Yoshilda** and **KiaraBakuraArcane **for your wonderful reviews. )

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto or Anastasia. If I did, I would have made Naruto completely beat Sasuke by now, as well as become Hokage and had everyone acknowledge his awesomeness. XD But then again I'm just a fan, so what do I know?

^^^Indicates scene change^^^

Once Upon a December: Uzumaki Style!

Chapter 9: Heart

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

"Come on, kid! Just hang on!"

"_Naruto?"_

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

"Oh my God, his heart's going insane! Vlad, get in here!"

"_Naruto, keep it together. You've got to survive this. I'm…"_

"..coming! Dimitri?"

"Vlad, it's about damn time! The kid's heart rate is going crazy! God, it feels like the thing's going to jump out of his chest! You think he needs the hospital?"

"Let me see! Child, I'm…"

"…_so sorry, Naruto. Your birthright is catching up to you. I'm afraid it's going to be…"_

"…tough. It's going to be hard, but he'll survive this. The increased heart rate might be just stress or trauma. I've checked him over, and he doesn't seem to have any heart problems that I can see. If it gets any worse, he's going to the hospital. But for now, I think he'll be fine."

"Fine? He sure doesn't look fine to me!"

"Dimitri, something like this doesn't just go away quickly. Tachycardia is…"

"…_Painful. I had to suffer the same. I really wish I hadn't given you such a legacy. But remember, Naruto, that I'm always here to…"_

"…help! Dimitri, we need to calm him down. I'm not sure here, but it looks like his heart is working too much. Like it's trying to do too much work at once, or something."

"Vlad, you're just about the best doctor around. Are you sure or not?"

Pause. "He'll be ok."

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

"Oh no. Dimitri, we've got to…"

"_...help. I wish I could do more, but as it's partially my fault you're in this situation, I'd say I've done enough. I'm so sorry; remember that this will be over soon. But most importantly, remember…"_

"…that he'll be fine. I've told you already, Dimitri. Look at this, it's slowing down already."

A low whistle. "That was _scary._"

"You're telling me. Now, let's leave the poor child here on the couch. He needs to rest."

"Did you see those freaky burns he has? What exactly did this kid do?"

"We'll talk to him when he wakes up."

"…_to never, ever use the full extent of your power unless it is absolutely necessary. Also, do not lose sight of yourself, of who you are. And Naruto…"_

"Hey, kid. Can you hear me? 'Cause I just want to say…"

"…_I love you."_

"…Get better soon."

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

**^^^scene change^^^**

Naruto awoke with a start and a gasp. He sat up, rubbing at his stiff neck and glancing at the sunny windows. He blearily wondered what the time was. Swiveling his head around absentmindedly, his eyes rested upon a figure slumped in a chair next to the couch he was currently occupying. Naruto automatically stiffened, his hands clenching into fists, betraying the tenseness he was currently feeling.

The figure glanced over at Naruto concernedly. He seemed pretty young, maybe in his mid-twenties, and had brown hair and brown eyes. His sharp, defined features gave him a cunning look, making up for his average stature.

The man gave him a grin, sharp features contorting. "Dang, kid. You really gave us a scare. It's not every day you have some unknown squirt's heart nearly give out on you." He gave a small chuckle, then asked "Seriously though, you all right kid?"

The words activated a memory: hunched over in pain on a damp forest floor, a voice asking _"You all right, kid?"_

Then it came back to him. All of it.

Naruto leapt off the couch instantly "I've gotta…"

He never got to finish his sentence, as a few things happened in quick succession. First, he felt a searing pain on his legs and arms, as well as somewhere on the left side of his chest. Grimacing, he began to fall forwards, when the man jumped up and caught him before he could hit the ground. "Whoa, slow down!" The man chuckled lightly. "Where do you need to go in such a hurry?"

Naruto knew he needed to make a choice, and soon. He could tell this unknown man who he was, get help for his teammates and put an end to the incognito mission. Or he could stay silent, tell the barest minimum and keep the mission ongoing but risk losing his friends to what was now his greatest enemy.

Speaking truthfully? There was no contest. Naruto's priorities were clear in his mind. He would do whatever his teammates needed him to do, no matter what it cost the mission. The mission was in ruins anyway, what was now left of it completely destroyed by Rasputin's latest attacks. It was painfully obvious now that he cared nothing for the Whirlpool Village's political problems; the whole thing had been a trap to lure Naruto out. How he'd known they would be sent was a mystery, but Naruto didn't really have time to contemplate that right now.

Even though all his reasons were the right ones, Naruto stalled having to make that choice by simply asking "Who are you?"

The man nodded. "I thought you would ask. My name's Dimitri. I would tell you my last name, but then I'd have to kill you." He chuckled, but Naruto had a sneaking suspicion that he was only half-joking.

Shaking off that morbid thought, Naruto continued "So, where am I? How did I get here?"

Dimitri shrugged. "You're in a cabin near the center of the forest, about a half-hour walk from the capital of Uzu no Kuni. As for how, I really have no idea why you're in this forest. I found you near the cabin, injured and unconscious, and brought you here to patch you up." Dimitri gave him a look. "What happened to you, kid? You know your heart nearly gave out?"

Naruto nodded, not really listening as he went over his options "Well, you see…" He paused. "Wait, what?"

No. _No. _He really did _not _need another problem right now.

Dimitri nodded. "Yup. It was beating really quickly, and you weren't able to breathe right. A few minutes longer like that and, well…" He gave a short, humorless laugh. "I'd be talking to a casket right now."

Naruto shook his head. He'd worry about this later. "Look." He began. "Thanks for your help, but I really gotta go. I've got stuff to do, and…" he trailed off uselessly, gesturing wildly at the air. _Damn it. This is harder than I thought it would be._

Dimitri raised an eyebrow. "Kid," He began, slightly amused. "Did you see what happened when you tried to get up? If you _really _want to, go ahead and try to leave. But I'm not helping you out."

Naruto clenched his fists together. "Could you consider it? Please?"

Dimitri shook his head "Oh, no. You already owe me for the first time I've helped you. I'm not going to help again until you make up for that."

Naruto was speechless. He'd never been in a situation where he was expected to give some sort of reimbursement after he'd been injured. "What do you want? I don't have much money," _Courtesy of a certain Ero-senin who decided to spend it all. Jerk. _"And I can't really do much of anything right now." He tugged at the bandages on his arms irritably. "Do you know exactly what's wrong with me, anyway?"

Dimitri shrugged. "No clue. Ask Vlad for all that medical BS."

Naruto blanked. "Vlad?"

Dimitri nodded. "Yup, Vlad. My partner-in-crime. He's the real medic of this dynamic duo." His eyes widened. "That reminds me, he told me to call him when you woke up." He cleared his throat and suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs "Vlad! Get your butt over here, the kid's woken up!"

Naruto winced at the sudden burst of noise. "OY! Incredibly sick person here! What the heck is your problem?"

Dimitri gave him a curious look. He was saved from answering by the arrival of Vlad, who turned out to be a portly man with brown eyes, grey streaks in his dark hair, and a kind smile. "He's awake? That's good." He looked at Naruto. "Nice to meet you. My name's Vlad, you've probably already met Dimitri." He reached into a red velvet bag he was carrying and pulled out a stethoscope. "I'm going to need to check up on your heart, ok? That was a close call you had yesterday."

Naruto nodded, flinching slightly as the cold metal touched his black t-shirt. "Do you know what's wrong with me?"

Vlad answered absentmindedly, still listening to Naruto's heartbeat. "You've got a few second to third degree burns on your arms and legs and a few minor cuts and bruises. What's most worrying, however," He tapped the left side of Naruto's chest with his stethoscope "is this. Your heart rate began to increase more than was normal for no apparent reason. It seems to be close to normal now, but before it was beating much too hard and fast. It was like you were overworking it, and right now it's pretty vulnerable." He took the stethoscope off and placed it back into his bag. "I would suggest a lot of rest for you."

Naruto shook his head, panicked. "I don't have time for that right now. Thanks for the help, really, but I've got to go." He looked over at Dimitri nervously "What kind of repayment do you want? I'll give it to you now, because I'm in a hurry."

Dimitri still looked amused. "Well kid, you could start off by telling us who you are, and how you got those injuries of yours. I must admit, I'm curious to what a kid like you could have been doing to receive all that."

Naruto gritted his teeth. "Stop calling me that."

Dimitri waited, eyebrow raised as Naruto gathered his tangled thoughts. Vlad stood to the side, watching with amusement and curiosity in his gaze.

Throwing caution to the winds, Naruto made his split-second decision. "My name's Naruto. I'm a ninja, and I was sent here on a mission. My team was captured by the enemy we were fighting, and I need to rescue them." He stood up, a bit slower this time, wincing as he attempted to walk. "So you understand why I need to go. Thanks, I'll see you…"

He broke off as he was pulled back onto the couch. Again. "Hey!" He said indignantly.

Dimitri said nothing, eyeing him suspiciously. "A ninja?" He remarked quietly. "That actually explains a lot. It may not seem like it, but I've been around plenty of ninja in my time. I know their tricks." He looked at the man next to him. "Vlad?"

Vlad exhaled. "This makes a lot of sense now." Ignoring Naruto's wary glance, he placed a palm on Naruto's chest. A humming sound emanated from his hand, and a blue glow encased it. Naruto could only stare as the healing chakra did its diagnosis. He knew healing ninjutsu when he saw it. "You're a ninja?"

Vlad chuckled. "No, not really. I worked in the Whirlpool Village back in the day. My, that was a long time ago." He stared off into space, obviously reminiscing on his past. "I was a trained physician. Not a ninja, but a medic that could use chakra. Nowadays, however, it's a dangerous skill for one to have. The criminal underworld here gets wind you can use chakra, you're gone faster than the Yellow Flash wins a race." He dropped his palms, blue glow disappearing. "The fact that you're a ninja actually explains this problem."

He gestured at Naruto's chest again. "As you may know, the heart is one of the main organs of your body. It's the center of the circulatory system, and is responsible for the flow of blood in your body. But what most people don't know is that the heart is also the center of the chakra system. It's in the center of your body, so it's what you put pressure in when you're building up chakra. When your chakra has some sort of malfunction or sickness of a sort, your heart is the organ that reacts to it. Does that make sense?"

Naruto blinked once. Twice. "Yes…no. What?"

Dimitri slapped a head to his forehead. "I thought ninja were supposed to be smart. Am I wrong?"

"Shut up!" Naruto snapped, his face crimson. "Just because I don't get some stuff doesn't mean I'm stupid, you hear me?"

Vlad smiled. "It's like this: if something's wrong with your chakra, it causes something to go wrong with your heart. So, that means something is wrong with your chakra. Have you contracted a chakra-sickness recently?"

Naruto cocked his head. "A what?"

Vlad sighed. "I guess not. Hmm…have you attempted any particularly difficult ninjustu? Maybe tried a jutsu that doesn't suit your style? If you try to use an elemental jutsu that uses the element that trumps your own, this can sometimes happen."

Naruto, suffice to say, was completely clueless. Vlad continued to rattle on about possible causes of his problem without noticing.

"Have you encountered an outside chakra source? Any influence from other harmful chakra beings could have this result. Have you been touched by an external chakra source directly?"

Naruto froze. _Ohhh…_that made sense.

It just figured that the stupid fox was going to cause him more problems. However, if that was the reason then it wasn't a problem. He was sure Baa-chan and Ero-Senin would know a way to fix this. _Even if they do tend to keep little secrets about one's family from them._ He thought darkly.

Naruto interrupted Vlad's tirade. "Thanks, I think it was one of those reasons." He started swinging his legs up, getting used to the burning feeling on them. "It'll be OK, I know a doctor that could help me out." He stared up at Vlad plaintively. "I just need to save my friends. They could be in trouble because of me, and I won't just sit by and let them get hurt."

Surprisingly, Dimitri was the one who spoke up. "Real noble of you, kid." He leaned comfortably back on his chair, suddenly unconcerned. "But that'll have to wait for now. I'm going to cash in a favor that needs collecting. I helped you, you help me. Got it?"

Vlad began to protest. "Dimitri…"

Dimitri cut him off, eyes sharp. "Vlad, just listen to me, ok? This is just the chance we've been waiting for."

Naruto clenched his fists. "Couldn't I just do this later? I need to help my friends. I promise I'll come back after everything's over."

Dimitri snorted. "Promises don't mean anything to me, kid. They're just empty words. You do this for me, and I'll consider us even."

Naruto looked up, his eyes burning. "You jerk." He hissed under his breath, absolutely furious. "I always keep my word. Always! What kind of ninja would I be if I didn't?"

Dimitri shrugged. "A normal one. You ninja aren't as noble as you make yourselves out to be. Like you, it isn't just your friends you need to find. Am I right? You on a revenge mission? An assassination assignment?" He sighed, running a hand through his brown hair. "Look, I don't really care. I'm cashing in my favor now. Then you can go."

Naruto visibly wilted at his words. _Revenge mission? _He just wanted to save his friends…right? Shaking off his doubting thoughts, Naruto ground out through his clenched teeth. "What do you want me to do?"

Dimitri turned to him, his eyes completely serious. "You ever hear of the Uzumaki?"

TBC

(**A/N**: Ok, kind of a short chapter. But Dimitri and Vlad have been introduced, as well as a particular problem that could turn serious later. Don't worry, all the mysteries of Dimitri will be revealed, and everything will make sense by the end of the story, I promise! Just bear with me.

Dialogue here seemed a bit choppy. Does anyone else think so, or is it just a case of author-nerves? Please let me know…I really need some constructive criticism. XD Oh, and that whole heart-chakra thing? It's made up for my story. I hope it's plausible enough.

Anyway, I always appreciate REVIEWS! Please tell me what you think. Thanks!

**Review Responses:**

**KaliAnn: **Nuttier than a fruit bat indeed…XD He, I liked that one. I'm glad you like the musical numbers; it's good that someone is enjoying them! I hope this chapter has answered your questions about Naruto to some extent. Although I suppose more questions will have come out of this one than answers!

**Kronos Titan of time: **Heh, thanks for all the compliments. I'm glad you liked that chapter and the way I portray the characters. Thanks for pointing out that mistake, I went back and fixed it. And again, Naruto will have his chance at Rasputin, and it's going to be one heck of a battle. As for an Uzumaki being the only one with a chance to kill Rasputin, you've actually got a pretty good idea of where I'm headed. I owe the omake idea to you, thanks again. I will definetly try to come up with more, they're fun to write. Anyway, the wait for a chapter is over…until next time *evil laugh* XD

**notgonnasay09: **It's an amusing image, isn't it? I'd never pictured Kakashi to be really scared of anything, but Rasputin is literally a stuff of nightmares. Thanks for the review :)

**Amber Ice Fox: **Thanks :D that was tons of fun to write.

**Kidan Yoshilda: **Excellent question. I'm planning on only putting "Learn to do it" (minus reprise) and maybe "once upon a December" for a bit again. I might add in "At the Beginning with you." as a little last-chapter song-fic thing, but it's still a work in progress. And I agree, it is more of a fusion. Is there a solid difference between that and a crossover on this site though? Thanks for the compliments, I hope you enjoy the rest of the story :)

**KiaraBakuraArcane: **Hehe, thank you :D That omake was really fun to write. Makes you wish that would really happen, huh? XD

See you all next time!)


	11. Chapter 10: Learn To Do It

(**A/N: **This story has reached ten chapters! YAY! I'm so glad it's reached the double-digits, all thanks goes to the readers who motivate me to continue! The people who're waiting for some action, you'll have to wait a bit longer. There'll be a bit of a quiet period here and then everything will pick up again with a bang. I'm not completely sure how long it'll take, but it won't be long. Thanks for sticking with this, regardless!

The song that appears in this last chapter will probably be the last one. There might be one more in the one of the last chapters, but I don't think I will include it. Sorry to everyone who liked those! (**KaliAnn**, especially. You told me you liked the musical numbers.)

A special thanks to my alerters, **Midnighter67, techi1590, Serendipity1212 **and **PhatNaruto18**. Also to the favoriters, **Midnighter67, White Angel of Auralon, **and **Serendipity1212. **A big, big thanks to the reviewers, **notgonnasay09, Amber Ice Fox, KaliAnn, Kronos Titan of Time, Kidan Yoshilda, **and . You guys are awesome!)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto or Anastasia. Since Rasputin dies in the "Anastasia" movie, he would curse me had I owned it.

**Rasputin: **That's right! *evil cackle*

**Everyone else: **SHUT UP! *brings out the Chihuahuas*

^^^Indicates scene change^^^

_Italics indicate Naruto's thoughts_

_**Bold Italics indicate singing**_

Once Upon a December: Uzumaki Style!

Chapter 10: Learn to Do It

_Uzumaki? _

Naruto had to pause to comprehend that word. That one word and all that it entailed. Great. Just great. How could his life get any more messed up? Who knew his last name would ever cause him so much trouble? Was his last name even Uzumaki in the first place, considering he'd taken it from his mother? Naruto didn't even know anymore.

_Oh, I've heard of the Uzumaki all right._

Naruto tried to keep his face impassive but he'd paused for too long. Dimitri cleared his throat and let out an impatient "Well? Have you?"

Naruto made a snap decision: his second in the space of a few minutes. "I've heard of them before, of course." He began carefully. "They're the talk of the town around here. I'm an outsider as you know, so I learned the story during my stay here. What about them?" He mentally crossed his fingers, hoping he'd made the right choice in keeping the truth hidden.

Dimitri leaned back in his chair. "So, you know the stories? Good, that'll make the explanation easier." He gave Naruto a searching look, one that seemed to go right through him. "You're an orphan, right?" A small nod. "No idea who your family might be, right?" Naruto paused, and gave a Dimitri a "that's-none-of your business" glare. "What does that have to do with anything?" He snapped.

Dimitri chortled. "I didn't think so. It's just that…you look a whole lot like them, you know? Vlad and I both used to work there, and we've seen them many a time."

Naruto nodded slowly. "And?" A feeling of trepidation began to rise within him. He clutched the sides of the big couch to steady himself.

Dimitri plowed on without hesitation. "We think…no, we _know _that you're one. I knew the second I saw you. You've got the same face, same features, and my _goodness_…" He reached over to grab Naruto's face, tilting it upwards. "The same eyes. Not in color, but in shape and…drive, I guess. I haven't seen such determined eyes for many years. More than thirty, in fact."

Naruto's mouth went dry. "What do you mean?" He yanked his face out of Dimitri's grasp. "I'm from _Konoha_! There's no way I could be from your village!"

_Lies, Uzumaki. _

Dimitri gave him a look. "Yeah, sure." He said. "Come on, you know it too, right? Don't you want to find out who your family is? I'm pretty sure I know what I'm talking about. Trust me kid, you're Uzumaki."

_You don't need to tell me._

"Why is this relevant?" Naruto asked stiffly. "Just tell me what you want your favor to be and let me do it! I need to look for my friends! I have no clue where they are, if they're safe or not, and if they're out looking for me! Trust _me, _buddy, I am in some serious trouble right now." His voice had been steadily rising until the end.

Dimitri raised his hands in defeat. "Fine! Calm down a bit. All I'm saying is there's a pretty hefty reward involved in locating an Uzumaki. We're pretty sure you're one, so all we want you do to is come with us and check. There are some family friends of the Uzumaki who are on the lookout, all of which are related to the Feudal Lord. If you turn out to be one, you're sure of your identity and we're rich. If not, then we've tried and you've repaid your debt. Everybody wins both ways. You'll get to look for your friends in the end anyway."

Naruto gritted his teeth. "How about no? Can't I do something else? Seriously, it's stupid to make an assumption like that." Another thought occurred to him. "How can I trust that you're telling the truth, and not just a couple of creeps?"

Vlad cut in. "We healed you up. If we were "creeps", we wouldn't have done so. By the way, it is not a good idea to be getting worked up. Your heart needs some rest."

Dimitri waved him off. "Point is, we mean what we're saying. We're accepting nothing else for the favor. It'll be mutually beneficial to the both of us, and it's a good deal. Plus, it'll only take…what, a few weeks to a month?"

Naruto let out a squeak of indignation. "A few weeks to a _month? _What for? What the heck am I doing, a training program?"

Dimitri let out a laugh. "Would you believe me if I said yes?" He asked, not unkindly.

"What…?"

"You need to get through all this protocol to even be considered." Vlad explained. "You'll need to prove that you're an Uzumaki, through knowledge as well as jutsu."

Naruto threw his hands up into the air in exasperation. "_What _knowledge and _what _jutsu? I don't know any clan jutsu! What about this heart problem I'm having, you consider that? Plus, what if I turn out not to be an Uzumaki? It'll all have gone to waste! And…" He dropped his hands, suddenly depleted of energy. "You know what? This is a total waste of my time. My friends could be _dying _and I'm sitting here arguing with you about this. So thanks, but no thanks. I'm out."

Dimitri's eyes turned cold. "If that's what you think then leave. Go on, if this is such a waste of your time."

Naruto stared right back at him. "You know what? I will." He threw his hands back down on the couch, and heaved himself to his feet. On wobbly, stinging legs, he attempted a few steps and fell flat on his face. His legs were burning like there was no tomorrow, and he couldn't take a step for the life of him.

Face pressed against the wooden floor, he heard Vlad attempt to come to his aid only to be stopped by Dimitri. Then a cool voice sounded, so different from the earlier joking tone. "What are you waiting for, kid? Leave! Unless you need our help…which you'll need to repay by doing a tiny favor we asked of you. We'll be doing most of the work, teaching you jutsu and general knowledge. Also, you'll repay your debt while learning new ways to harness your chakra. You might even discover your family's identity! Did you not consider that most of the perks go to _you?" _

Naruto's arms shook as he attempted to push himself to his feet. "Shut UP! Just shut up! I need to help my friends! I don't care how you put it, I am leaving!"

Dimitri merely raised an eyebrow, allowing the icy aura he was emitting to wash over the room. Naruto's limbs shook even more at the hostility it produced. Try as he might, he couldn't pull himself to his feet. He'd never had an injury like _this _before. What had happened? There was nothing in his previous battle that might have caused such wounds.

No matter. He'd crawl to the next town and…

_And what? Crawl around until you find the others? Sasuke would definitely find that hilarious. What if they're captured? Will you fight your way out from the floor? Nuh-uh. It isn't going to work, genius._

Naruto collapsed on the floor again, arms and legs flying everywhere. _What do I do? Kakashi-sensei, Tsunade Ba-chan, Ero-senin, what do I do? Guys…_

Dimitri continued his irritated speech. "You can't even get up properly! You really think you can go out there alone and find your way around? You're an idiot if you do. I'm really…"

"I'll do it."

The words were spoken so softly that Dimitri had to lean over next to the figure on the ground. "What was that?" He asked slowly, a smile spreading across his face.

"I said yes, ok? You win. I'll help you out. Just get this over with as fast as you can so I can help my friends." Naruto's face was still pressed against the ground, words twisted up by the wood and a healthy amount of denial that he'd said them. Even being led into agreeing with no way out, he still felt like a traitor for assenting to do this.

Naruto heard a smirk in Dimitri's voice as he said. "I thought so. Get some rest, kid. We start bright and early in the morning." At the unresponsive silence, his voice softened slightly. "Look, it'll be worth it. You'll see."

Naruto propped himself up on his elbows as Dimitri exited the room, the dramatic flair to his walk reminding him suddenly of Kiba. In instances like this, Kiba went dramatic when he felt either very upset or victorious. Would he ever see Kiba, Shikamaru, Chouji and the others again? Would he even get to rescue his team? He was hard-pressed for time, and he desperately hoped that this ordeal would not delay him too much. Naruto scowled, knowing exactly what was going through Dimitri's head at the moment.

A hand at his elbow made him jump. Vlad leaned in above him, helping him to his feet. "I'm sorry about Dimitri." Vlad said softly. "He means well. We both do."

Naruto didn't say a word as Vlad helped him on the couch. As he turned to leave, in a manner very unlike Dimitri's confident stride, Naruto remarked quietly "Yeah. I'm sure you do."

But Vlad had gone, leaving Naruto alone to his own thoughts and the overwhelming events and revelations that had occurred over the past few days.

**^^^ scene change^^^**

"Dimitri…?"

"Vlad, we did it! He agreed! This is the chance we've been waiting for! Finally!"

"But Dimitri, don't you feel a little cruel for forcing him into this?"

"I never did that. It was entirely up to him."

"Sure. His hands were tied, you know that!"

"Look, do you want that reward or not? We've been looking for a chance like this for a long time!"

"Yes, but he's a child Dimitri! He can't be older than thirteen!"

"So?"

"So? _So_ he's young! A young ninja that we found alone and injured, with a heart problem no less! And he's missing his friends!"

"That doesn't matter in the least to me, to be frank. We got a lucky break, and I plan on expanding on that. Now, are you with me or not? We've been planning this for ages!"

"Yes, but do you think tricking an innocent is worth it? You might have given the poor child false hopes."

"Nobody said it was false. He really might be an Uzumaki."

"Dimitri. We are con men. You don't really expect me to believe you. You're just pulling a fast one on the child to try and get the money! We've been looking for somebody to fit the Uzumaki looks, and you've found one without having the need to audition. We could even teach him the family jutsu! _And _there's a big chance that he'll actually believe it!"

"…I already know all this, Vlad."

"And you're still going with it? Really, is all this worth it? You even gave the child false hopes with the whole "determined eyes" routine."

"No, _that _was true. It's one reason I think he fits the part. He seems to have the temper too."

"Look, Dimitri, you're planning to pass him of as…"

"Vlad…."

"I mean, wouldn't it be bad for you to get lost in the past like that? You could get hurt if you keep looking for likenesses between him and…"

"Vlad. Shut. Up."

"Ok, sorry, I just hope you know what you're doing."

"Trust me, I do. _This _is what I want. And if it takes tricking a kid to do it, then I say go for it."

**^^^ scene change^^^**

Someone was trying to wake him up. Naruto groaned, swatting away the annoying person with his hands. "Go 'way!"

"Naruto. It's time to wake up. Today's the day you begin your training." A gentle voice above him responded amusedly. Naruto groaned, setting himself up quickly. He's remembered the events of the previous day reluctantly, but was quite thankful that Dimitri wasn't his wake-up call. In different circumstances, he would have said he liked the guy. He had a sometimes-fun personality. However, now he could very well say he detested him.

For example, that morning at breakfast. Dimitri was in a good mood, and was cracking perpetual jokes. Naruto found out the morning that Dimitri was in charge of their operations, while Vlad was the kind one in the background. He learnt quite a lot about the two, actually. Like how Dimitri usually wasn't a morning person, and how Vlad had practically raised Dimitri and was good with kids. It would definitely be very interesting being taught by them, even if he was running low on time. He knew his hands were tied in this situation, but it still irked him to no end.

However on the plus side, he was going to learn new jutsu! Normally Naruto would jump at a chance like that. It was family jutsu no less, clan jutsu! Something special to his family and their abilities. It was kind of nice to be able to have something like that. Something special. He had Rasengan, but it just wasn't the same. It wasn't passed down to him from his family, right? So he was excited about learning that, as well as his family history. He assumed he'd have to learn that. There was still one thing that was bothering him, though…

"Vlad?" Naruto asked hesitantly. They had finished breakfast at this point, and Dimitri had left to get who-knows-what to begin his training. Naruto felt safer with Vlad. He was the more trustworthy of the two.

Vlad turned to him with a kind smile. "Yes?"

Naruto gulped. "How am I going to be training properly if I'm like this?" He asked, gesturing down at himself and his wounds. "I can't even stand up right. How can I learn moves and jutsu and such? And what about my heart? You said it needed rest, but what if this is too much? What if it gives out? Will it stay that way my whole life? Will…?"

Vlad raised a hand. "Whoa, slow down. One question at a time." He gave Naruto a reassuring glance. "Don't worry about anything. The injuries you got will heal, so the first week you'll be studying from books and learning family history and the theory of the jutsu. As for your heart," Here he looked more serious. "it will probably get better as time passes. If you came into contact with foreign chakra, the effects should wear off soon. If it persists, I'll be around. And when you're finished training and it's still bothering you, go to a hospital and check it out. Don't worry, everything will turn out fine."

Naruto nodded hesitantly. "Ok. Thanks."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence that was broken by the loud arrival of Dimitri. "I'm back! You guys miss me?"

Naruto snorted. "Hardly."

Vlad quickly spoke to ease the growing tension. "Let's get started, shall we? Before we start, Naruto, do you have any questions?"

Naruto nodded eagerly. "What jutsu am I learning? Is it cool? How powerful is it? Will it take long?"

Dimitri laughed. "We've still got a ways to go to reach that stage, kid. You need to learn your history first. Your clan, your village, and everything. Next is jutsu theory, and _then _the jutsu and techniques. And that," He patted one of the enormous books he'd brought. "is what we're starting on."

He picked one up and leafed through it. "We'll start with your mother. Kushina Uzumaki." Naruto stiffened oh-so-slightly, heart pounding quickly. Irony was just funny sometimes. Here he was, with these people trying to convince him that his mother was actually his, and he had to pretend to be disbelieving. What a weird situation.

Dimitri cleared his throat. "The Princess Kushina was the only one unaccounted for. Therefore, she's your mother if you're an Uzumaki. Which you are. Look, here's a picture!"

Naruto grabbed the little scrapbook eagerly. On the first page was the picture of the red-haired family waving happily of the camera. Dimitri leaned over and pointed at one of the figures. "That's Kushina. The youngest. She was a feisty one all right. She had a fiery temper, but one of the kindest hearts in existence."

Naruto shot Dimitri a look. Dimitri cleared his throat and briskly continued. "Moving on. Her life, well…

Vlad interrupted, singing _**"She was born in a palace by the sea."**_

Naruto spluttered. "Wha…?"

"Hey, you gotta get used to all the customs of the Whirlpool. This included." Dimitri said with a mischievous grin.

"You have got to be kidding me."

"…"

"Ok, ok. Fine. _**A palace by the sea? Could it be?"**_

"_**Yes that's right. She rode horses when she was only three." **_Vlad continued

Naruto laughed delightedly. _**"Horseback riding? Her?"**_

"_**And the horse," **_Vlad said, eyes sparkling.

"_**He was white!" **_Dimitri interrupted.

Vlad regained control of the story. _**"She made faces and terrified the cook!"**_

"_**Threw him in the brook!" **_Dimitri added with a smile.

Naruto grinned, scratching his head. _**"Was she wild?" **_'She sounds like me.' he thought.

"_**Wrote the book!" **_Dimitri assured him.

"_**But she behaved when her father gave that look." **_Vlad recalled.

"_**Imagine how it was!" **_Dimitri said with feeling, throwing his arms up.

"_**Your long-forgotten past!" **_Vlad was quieter about it, but his eyes sparkled.

"_**We've lots and lots to teach and the time is going fast!"**_

Naruto looked up determinedly. He _would _do this quickly and well, and save his team. _**"All right. I'm ready!"**_

They moved on to chakra theory and taijutsu stances, which were harder than they looked:

"_**Now, shoulders back and stand up tall."**_

"_**And do not walk, but try to float."**_

Naruto growled as his still-weak-limbs shook when he attempted the gliding motions necessary. _**"I feel a little foolish. Am I floating?"**_

"_**Like a little boat." **_Vlad teased good-naturedly.

They moved on to the beginning moves over the next few days, starting off slow because of various injuries:

"_**You give a bow." **_

"_**What happens now?" **_Naruto wondered, snapping up to attention after going through the drills of the Whirlpool Village's taijutsu style.

"_**Kick, try not to miss." **_Vlad suggested wryly. "Very funny," Mumbled Naruto, aiming for a tree trunk and…missing. "Hehe…" he smiled sheepishly, rubbing a hand through his hair.

Vlad and Dimitri exchanged glances, and then said together. _**"Most of all remember this:"**_

"_**If I can learn to do it, you can learn to do it." **_Vlad reminded him.

Dimitri spoke up firmly._** "Something in you knows it—"**_

"_**There's nothing to it." **_They chorused together encouragingly. Naruto blinked and nodded. This was still weird.

"_**Follow in my footsteps, shoe by shoe." **_Vlad directed, going through the exercise again. He motioned for Naruto to do the same.

"_**You can learn to do it too!" **_

Naruto was completely floored. This kind of training was different from anything he'd ever experienced. These people were nothing but encouraging, and they pushed him firmly. But their style was totally different than what he was used to. He supposed it was because they were putting all their time and energy into training him, and he'd never been personally trained before. It felt strange, but nice.

Naruto was doing pretty well, until they reached manners and protocol:

"_**Now, elbows in and sit up straight." **_Vlad instructed, wincing at the awful table manners. Naruto had obviously never been taught any.

Dimitri had little patience for this type of thing. _**"And remember to use your manners!"**_

"_**I never cared for manners!" **_Naruto groaned dramatically.

"_**He said that like his mother." **_Vlad whispered to Dimitri. Dimitri nodded distractedly.

"_**The sushi!" **_Dimitri pushed a bowl forward and demonstrated the correct way to eat it.

"_**The **__**onigiri**__**!" **_Vlad did the same.

"_**Dessert and then goodnight?" **_Naruto asked hopefully.

"_**Not until you get this right!" **_Vlad and Dimitri reprimanded sternly. "Fine." Naruto grumbled, tilting his chopsticks to try again.

"_**If I can learn to do it." **_Vlad assured him from the horse's back. Horse riding was killing Naruto's legs, but Dimitri insisted he learn it now.

"_**If he can learn to do it." **_Dimitri murmured to Naruto, gesturing to Vlad while rolling his eyes.

"_**You can learn to do it!" **_Vlad cheered, nearly falling off his horse.

"_**You can learn to do it." **_Dimitri rolled his eyes again. "Here Vlad, let me help you with that."

"_**Pull yourself together." **_Vlad yelled as Naruto lost control of the reins. The horse began to buck all over the place with Naruto hanging on for dear life.

"_**And you'll pull through it!" **_Dimitri had joined in, cupping his hands over his mouth. "Come on, kid! Is that all you got?

"_**Tell yourself it's easy!" **_Vlad shouted, watching Naruto suddenly straighten up and grasp for the reins with a dogged determination. Needless to say, he caught them after a few seconds.

"_**And it's true! You can learn to do it too!" **_Vlad and Dimitri chorused as Naruto grinned while executing a perfect canter around the field they were using. However, the next day wouldn't be so fruitful. Naruto knew he would have a hard time with this the second the words left Vlad's mouth:

"_**Next, we memorize the names of the royalty." **_"NO!" Naruto groaned as Vlad flipped through the book and pointed to a huge family tree. _**"Now here we have Ichizoku"**_

"_**Allied with Konoha." **_Dimitri added.

"_**When Hashirama was Hokage."**_

"_**Oh!" **_Naruto exclaimed happily.

"_**And dear old uncle Nobuaki loved his sake." **_Vlad explained to Naruto. All Naruto could think was 'Tsunade?'

"_**Got it kid?" **_Dimitri asked.

"_**No!" **_Naruto wailed, slapping a hand over his eyes.

"_**The Baroness Toa" **_Vlad shot out

"_**She was…?" **_Naruto asked confusedly.

"_**Short!" **_Dimitri cut in.

"_**Count Nagato." **_Vlad exclaimed.

"_**Had a…?" **_Naruto began slowly.

"_**Wart!" **_Dimitri said, bouncing up and down in his seat. "OI!" Naruto roared. "Is he asking you? It's MY lesson!" Dimitri's only response was a smug smile and a "You should learn from this, then."

"_**Countess Mito." **_Vlad continued.

"_**Had a diamond tattoo." **_Dimitri answered, shooting Naruto a mischievous grin. Naruto muttered "Showoff."

"_**I hear she was a seal master." **_Vlad explained. "The Whirlpool ninja village all were, but she was apparently the best."

"_**And I recall her husband was the First." **_Naruto said triumphantly, sticking his tongue out at Dimitri. _That _was something he remembered from school. This was, in fact, Tsunade's grandmother.

"_**I don't believe we told him that." **_Vlad murmured to Dimitri, who shrugged. "Whatever."

It was now the end of the first week. Naruto had healed up considerably well, however still wasn't in top shape. The fox was strangely quiet and hadn't even helped him heal. That was very strange.

Now, Vlad and Dimitri had decided to begin the taijutsu learning. Naruto couldn't wait, having prepared by practicing all the stances previously.

"_**If you can learn to do it, I can learn to do it!" **_Naruto sang happily, chopping upwards and Vlad came in from above. He'd quickly learned that this taijutsu style required speed, stamina and strength. He could easily outlast the much bigger man and win the fight.

"_**Don't know how you knew it." **_Vlad puffed, clutching a black eye.

"_**I simply knew it!" **_Naruto sang again, not even realizing that he was doing so._** "Suddenly I feel like someone new…" **_He trailed off, slightly shocked. The sun was on its way down, and he'd understood the basics of a taijutsu style in one day. That was…impossible. Naruto _never _got stuff quickly. That was for geniuses like Sasuke and Neji. Was it just because this was a family jutsu? Wow.

"_**Kid, you're a dream come true!" **_Dimitri beamed, thinking he had a genius in his hands. "Good job, kid."_** "If I can learn to do it,"**_

"_**If I can learn to do it," **_Naruto repeated mechanically.

"_**You can learn to do it!" **_Vlad continued.

"_**You can learn to do it." **_Naruto parroted. That was probably their catch phrase or something. They said it _all _the time.

"_**Pull yourself together, and you'll pull through it." **_All three continued.

"_**Tell yourself it's easy,"**_

"_**And it's true—"**_

"_**You can learn to do it,"**_

"_**Nothing to it!" **_Naruto sang.

"_**You can learn to do it too!" **_The last note was held and just like that the song ended. Dimitri chuckled. "Hey kid, I think you've got the hang of that." Vlad nodded. "The three of us sound good together. We had quite a lot of practice."

Naruto voiced his assent. "Yeah, we did, huh…?" He trailed off. "So, is the training done yet? Can I save my friends?"

At that question, the friendly atmosphere disappeared almost instantly. Dimitri's smile slid off his face. "Nuh-uh, kid. We haven't taught you the most important thing yet. You've still got a lot of work to do." He stood up, wiping his sweaty forehead. Naruto had sparred with him for a bit earlier as well. "You've still got to learn the signature Uzumaki jutsu. And _that _will take you a while to master."

He turned without another word and began to walk past the clearing to the small cottage. The woods were really a good place to train, with very little human inhabitance and lots of huge glades to practice in.

Naruto looked after Dimitri's retreating back while Vlad heaved a sigh. "Don't mind him. Now you get back inside and rest. You'll be busy tomorrow." With a pat on his shoulder, Vlad walked back towards the cottage as well.

Naruto started at the setting sun a few minutes more, only thinking what his friends would say if they saw him now. Strangely, no thought of Rasputin crossed his mind at all, nor had it for a while. It didn't matter; he was on his way to the top and _nothing _was going to stop him.

**TBC**

(**A/N: **Well, that's another one finished. By the way, if anyone's wondering why Naruto doesn't just fight his way out, it's because he wasn't able to do much in the beginning. Near the end, he grew to actually want to do this because he now believes that learning this will help him defeat Rasputin.

Next chapter will hopefully lead up to the actual fighting and full-on training, and a possible appearance by the others. The chapter after that would probably lead into the climax and many things being discovered. Oh, here's a question: should I repost this into the crossover category? Because it's definitely a hardcore crossover/fusion now.

REVIEWS are always appreciated! Thanks!

**Review Responses:**

**notgonnasay09: **Thanks :) I hope it wasn't too much.

**Amber Ice Fox: **Yup, they're going to play a big part in this story. As for cliffies, I am rather fond of them. So watch out! XD

**KaliAnn: **Thanks, I was thinking the heart trouble was a bit too much. But there is a reason it's there! And yes, Vlad is going to use chakra. Dimitri is a bit of a jerk, and continues to be for a while. Don't worry though; he'll get better in time. :D And also, they won't fall for each other, don't worry. I'm not adding any romance in this one, there will only be hints of past ones and crushes and stuff like that. Plus, they're only going to develop into a friendship, and Dimitri has some other things he's hiding that you may find interesting.

**Kronos Titan of Time: **Yeah, he was hearing his mom. But he didn't know it was his mom. In fact, he's forgotten that encounter already. Dimitri and Vlad are going to be important in this story, and their connection to the Uzumaki will be revealed later. Could you guess it now? I put in some hints…XD. Naruto didn't tell them his whole name because if he did they would know he was an Uzumaki. Naruto's trying to hide that at this point, partly because he wants to run away from the repercussions of being who he is, and partly because he is undercover. Plus, suspense is my thing, so be prepared XD. And that does sound like a good omake *Has vision of Madaara being chased by rabid Chihuahua-shark* I'll definitely leave that up as a potential omake-idea! Thanks for your review; I will be checking in on your fics near mid-April.

**Kidan Yoshilda: **So basically, a crossover has characters go from one world to another and interact, while a fusion melds two worlds into one? Hmm…interesting. Thanks for clearing that up! :)

**: **Hehe, thanks. Annoying the hell out of Sasuke was fun. XD


	12. Chapter 11:Fuuinjutsu and a Discovery

(**A/N: **Hey guys! Here's the next chapter of Once Upon a December, Uzumaki Style! From here on out: NO SONGS!

This story will be reposted in the crossover section as soon as it's finished. I want everyone to read it before changing the section. And in the sequel that is in planning stages, there is some deliberation to whether I should base it on another musical. Any preferences? Or should it be song-free?

By the way, here is my reaction on the latest Naruto chapters: WOW! GIMMEE MOOOOREE! :D I'm so happy everything's finally picked up! And guess who's back this time…for GOOD! :)

Thanks to the alerters: **vash3055, RyuSaoTen, My Secretmoon, cal692, Nicro7777, **and **Wal Otter**. Also the favoriters: **Boxerdogtessa, Jasmine .09,** **Orain, konoha-leafsprite, **and **Wal Otter**.Finally, the wonderful reviewers: **Amber Ice Fox, KaliAnn, KiaraBakuraArcane, notgonnasay09, Kronos Titan of Time **and **Kidan Yoshilda. **Many thanks, reviews are very motivating!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto or Anastasia. Really. As unbelievable as it sounds, I am neither Masashi Kishimoto-san nor Twentieth Century Fox. So no rights for me :(

**^^^indicates scene change^^^**

_Italics _indicate thoughts

**Bold **indicate Kyuubi talking

Once Upon a December: Uzumaki Style!

Chapter 11: Fuuinjutsu and a Disconcerting Discovery

Naruto awoke the next morning filled with a nervous energy. He lay on his back, tense cerulean eyes searching every scratch on the ceiling. The worn-out sofa that had become his bed was pressing into his skin roughly.

Naruto got up; stretching and rubbing his eyes, as soon as he saw rays of light penetrate through the curtained window. He usually didn't wake up so early, nor was he usually quiet in doing so, but today was different. He was excited and nervous and solemn all at the same time. It was a bittersweet feeling, really; to learn of his clan and carry on his legacy without anyone actually watching him do so. Well, except for Dimitri and Vlad, but they didn't really count. They wouldn't ever understand the significance of such a thing for him.

_My very own clan jutsu…_

It was like a dream come true. To be part of a family, to be privy to its secrets and take part in them, to have special jutsu and moves that only _he _could do. Because from what he was seeing here, Dimitri and Vlad were not trained ninja. They didn't quite understand the subtleties of chakra and who could do what with it. If this was a clan jutsu or (his fingers were crossed) some kind of kekkai genkai, only he would able to actually perform it.

Which was really awesome.

But it did mean he was the only remnant left of an important clan. One who he'd found out about maybe two weeks previously.

So it _was_ excusable for his usually hyper self to be a bit nervous and contemplative of the huge responsibility he faced, Naruto mused as he pulled on his borrowed shirt. It was about three sizes too big for him, of course. Like all the clothes he was borrowing were.

Naruto quietly padded over to the small kitchen and made himself some cereal (Dimitri and Vlad had no ramen, Naruto had discovered to his dismay on the first day: "_How will I survive?"_) and eating it slowly. His mind was still churning out the possibilities and scenarios that could ensue out of this mysterious new jutsu.

And it went right back to his friends. Always his friends.

Naruto wondered and worried about his friends on a daily basis. Was Sakura all right? Was Kakashi taking care of everybody? Was Sasuke still a super-jerk? Was everybody back at the village ok? He wasn't dwelling on the fact that they had lied to him. Right now, it was about getting out of here with everybody alive and well (with, hopefully, a new jutsu and a dead enemy). Confrontations about hiding parentage would come later. He would be more cautious from now on, he'd have to be.

"You're up early."

Naruto glanced up from his now-soggy cereal to see the tiredly smiling form of Vlad in front of him. Vlad immediately took to the fridge and began to rifle through its contents.

Naruto chuckled. "Yeah. I couldn't sleep any longer."

"Excited?" Vlad continued amicably, pulling out jam and frozen bread. "It's the big day today. You'll have to work hard for this one, trust me. But take it easy. If you don't feel up to it, then stop. Remember your heart."

Naruto sighed. Vlad reminded him of this daily. It was starting to get annoying, especially since it was something he _really _didn't want to think about. He had enough issues at the moment as it was. "Yeah, I won't forget."

A few minutes passed in comfortable silence as Vlad made himself breakfast, laying some things aside for Dimitri to use later. Vlad broke it by saying suddenly "Are you able to properly use all the information we gave you?"

Naruto blinked. "Ummm..yeah. I think so. I mean, I can utilize the taijutsu pretty well and everything, and my shadow clones could totally exploit that. I'm also an involuntary Uzu history buff." The last was accompanied by a dark glare towards the older man.

Vlad chuckled. "Well, you need to know this. It's the history of your country."

Naruto groaned. "I heard the first two hundred times you said that! It doesn't make it any more interesting. Anyway, why ask so suddenly?"

Vlad's reply was interrupted by the shuffling of feet from somewhere near the entrance of the kitchen. It sounded like "Mmmfrghskdf."

Naruto restrained a snort as Dimitri walked in, brown hair sticking up everywhere and eyes squinted so tightly shut it was a wonder he didn't walk into the door. Vlad flashed him a bright smile. "Good morning, Dimitri! Here, have some coffee."

Dimitri grunted and grabbed for the mug, missing and hitting the saltshaker instead. Finally locating the mug under the amused gazes of the other two, Dimitri turned around and smacked into the wall. Naruto couldn't quite contain the snigger that followed.

Dimitri was _not _a morning person.

As Dimitri walked away still grumbling incoherently, to wake himself up properly with a shower, Vlad turned a suddenly serious expression to Naruto. "Are you ready?"

Naruto gulped, thinking of his friends. Kakashi-sensei. Sasuke. Sakura. Tsunade. Jiraiya. Iruka-sensei. A grinning Rasputin. A cold night in an abandoned mansion where only shadows danced.

"Yeah. I'm ready."

**^^^ scene change^^^**

Chains clanked incessantly. A pattern was being tapped in the corner of the room, repeating the same rhythm over and over again.

_Think, think, think…_

The recurring mantra was the result of many, many, _many _days of being cooped up with almost no chance of escape. One student had gone AWOL, the other two were depending on him, and a crazy dead person was playing mind games with him.

And he was _bored. _Quite possibly going insane.

_Think, think, think…_

Rasputin obviously hadn't found Naruto yet, they would have known otherwise, one way or another. What was he doing, then? Was he looking for Naruto, and was Naruto looking for them?

_Think, think, think…_

He couldn't count on getting rescued right now. He needed to concentrate on a way to get them all out of here. Preferably all together. But how? They had a 24/7 guard of zombie people. _Loyal _zombie people.

_Think, think, think…_

He'd examined the room for days already. Nothing was useful as a giveaway, and the door was guarded. There _had _to be some easy way out. Something overlooked…

_Think, think, think…_

What, then? What do to? A distraction? Did zombies like rice? Maybe they could lure them using it.

Wow, he really was going insane.

And he was _really, really _bored too. Had he mentioned that?

_Think, think, think…_

A glimmer of an idea? Out of _that? _No way. However, it seemed that Rasputin didn't concentrate on unorthodox methods. This just _might _work. Thinking like Naruto could get him somewhere.

A stir from somewhere else in the room caught his eyes. He grinned, and opened his mouth…

"Kakashi-sensei! If you tap the tune out ONE MORE TIME, I'm going to kill you! Chains or no chains! YOU UNDERSTAND!"

Kakashi gulped, and stilled his hands. That student was…heck, he couldn't even tell who it was. The squeaky voice to belong to either, as Sasuke got squeaky when he was scared and/or kicked in uncomfortable places.

_Ok. I'm definitely going insane now. Off to a mental institution for me after this is all over._

With that in mind, Kakashi told his students and fellow captives the glimmerings of an escape plan that had occurred to him…

**^^^ scene change^^^**

The trio stood in the middle of a worn-down clearing. It was a windy day, and Naruto was shivering. Partly from the cold, and partly from anticipation.

Dimitri, now fully awake, was getting out supplies from his bag. Vlad was helping him, spreading out some scrolls on the floor. Naruto was watching with interest, craning his neck to examine their work. So far, he had been told nothing and the visuals he was receiving still left him clueless. He felt the need to know what he was going to learn, damnit! It was his right to know by now!

Hours seemed to pass, and Naruto fidgeted restlessly. Every question was met with silence, and it was infuriating. Finally, Dimitri stepped up from the scroll paper and brushes, and spoke one simple word. "Fuuinjutsu."

Naruto blinked once. And then again. "Huh?"

Dimitri groaned. "Don't tell me you've never heard of this? Aren't you taught stuff when you become a ninja?"

Naruto shrugged, wriggling with expectation. "Never heard that word before. Now, what is it? Tell me!" Vlad chuckled somewhere to his right, but he ignored it. His eyes were zeroed in on Dimitri's smirking face. This was the moment of truth.

"Listen up." Dimitri announced, gesturing to the scrolls surrounding him. "Fuuinjutsu is the art of sealing. The Uzumaki specialized in sealing, and they developed many of the different seals you see in the world. Sealing requires extreme patience and concentration, as well as attention to detail."

Naruto let out a breath, whooshing it out all at once. "That's it?" He asked in disbelief. "That's all there is to the ultimate clan jutsu? Man, this sucks! I thought this was going to be a super-cool destructive move. I never knew I was going to be _drawing designs!_"

Dimitri slapped a hand to his forehead. "Kid," He warned. "never, _ever _underestimate Fuuinjutsu. It's got to be among the deadliest ninja skills out there." Ignoring Vlad's amused looks and Naruto's complaints, he plowed on. "Fuuinjutsu serves for both offence and defense. It seals away power and brings it forth. You want a jutsu to use? Seal it. Want to make an exploding tag? Draw the seals out. You can store enough supplies for a whole army on one piece of paper. You can curse someone _for life _with a couple of symbols. I may not be a ninja, or able to make seals, but I've seen them in action. Rasputin is said to specialize in them, you heard? It's _deadly _when used right."

Naruto paused, taking all that in. Without further ado, he threw his hands up and exclaimed. "COOL! But I have a couple of questions: how exactly does that work? Do you really expect me to believe I can spend hours _drawing _stuff? How is that helpful in fights? How did the Uzumaki even excel in this if they were all hyper like I am?"

"The Uzumaki aren't you, kid." Dimitri replied. "Not everyone was as nutty as you are." Naruto shot him a death glare. "But there have been worse. Also, you prepare these in advance, you know. All you need is a brush, ink, and a lot of practice. If you manage to draw seals anywhere, you could do a heck of a lot of things. Also, from what I've seen, you're very imaginative and spontaneous. You could destroy the world using this. Who knows what _you _could come up with?"

Naruto was quivering with excitement now. "Let's do it! Let's begin, please!"

Without further interruption, Vlad knelt down next to the parchments and began to teach him the basics.

**^^^ scene change^^^**

Naruto learned something in that first lesson: Sealing was _hard_.

_Really _hard.

Thing is, it took a lot of memorization. There was a sign, a brush stroke, for absolutely everything. A seal was an intricate piece of work, like a puzzle. All the parts needed to be the right ones, in the right places, to work.

Two hours of working through his first batch proved right. He was making a simple storage scroll and was having extreme difficulty doing so. Even with all the help in front of him, detail was hard. It didn't help that his penmanship was far from perfect.

Another three hours later, Naruto had completed his first seal. It was extremely basic, a bit messy, and took him a lot longer than it should have. But he was proud of it.

Dimitri was _not _pleased. "You'll need to work harder if you want to get anywhere near acceptable. We'll just skip straight to something explosive. Want to learn how to make an exploding tag?"

Another lunch break and five hours later, it was finished. An exhausted Naruto held up his newly completed exploding seal near the evening sky. His cramped and sweaty hand trembled over the intricate designs.

"_I've done it._" He thought triumphantly. "_I can do this!"_

Dimitri was watching from behind. "Well?" he asked impatiently. "Aren't you going to activate it?"

Naruto grinned. "Yeah!" he exclaimed excitedly, wrapping the seal around a kunai and flinging it to a faraway tree. He brought his hands up and released to the homemade exploding tag.

He immediately felt something go wrong.

This was draining a _lot _more chakra than it should. Naruto knew once this was released, there was no going back. He frantically looked back on the designs, wondering what had gone wrong. Dimitri and Vlad had both checked it and deemed it fine…

A memory suddenly assailed him. _His cramped __**and sweaty **__hand trembled over the intricate designs. _His sweaty hand must have smudged the designs near the bottom.

_Damn._

Blackness rushed up to him and he knew no more.

**^^^ scene change^^^**

Far away, Tsunade woke from her slumber with a start. Staring from the window on the Hokage tower, she tapped her fingers on her desk.

What had woken her?

Frustrated, she rubbed her head in her hands and glanced at the mountain of paperwork on her desk. _'I was mad to take this job.' _She thought sourly. _'Why Naruto would want it is beyond me…'_

Naruto. She paused, and whirled back around to the window.

_I should be getting a report by now. It's a mission where reports are expected every week… It's not like Kakashi would neglect that. Keeping me in the dark could cause an international incident._

What was going on?

**^^^ scene change^^^**

Naruto groaned, opening his eyes and glancing around at his surroundings. He was in an enormous, damp room that was ankle-high in water. Across from where he lay sat a huge cage, with a seal painted on the locks.

This would have been _much _more impressive had Naruto not seen it about a hundred times already. Furious, Naruto stomped over to the cake and yelled "Hey! I kinda need to continue training, you stupid fox! Get me out of here already!"

A low rumble sounded out from the cage. "**Insolent human! Do you know who you address with such disrespect? You may be my host, but you are not safe from my wrath." **Naruto shrugged. "Yeah, whatever. Just get me back! Fix whatever went wrong, and if you're causing this then stop!"

The fox growled. **"It is not that easy, you insignificant child. The laws of chakra are too vast for you to even begin to comprehend. And, for your information, it is not me causing your current state of unconsciousness. You" **he directed his red-eyed stare on Naruto **"are the cause of this, not me. Your heart is currently in an irregular beat. I swear, child, if your actions get me killed…"**

Naruto gaped. "Wow, hold on! Backtrack! My heart's acting up again?" Not waiting for confirmation, he plowed on. "Damnit! Why the heck is this happening? Is it that every time I try to do a new jutsu, my heart will give out?" He glared right at the King of Demons. "Great. Just great. If _your _annoying chakra hadn't messed up mine, we wouldn't be in this mess."

"**Foolish boy!" **The Kyuubi roared, dislodging water from the ceiling and causing Naruto to back up. **"Did you not hear me? I specifically stated that it was your infernal chakra that had put you in this position. Not mine." **"Yeah," Naruto retorted. "And it was _your _"infernal chakra" that messed mine up in the first place! Twelve years of nothing, and then BAM! You mess up my whole system! What is wrong with you?"

The Kyuubi just seemed to get more infuriated. **"You idiotic human! My chakra is held back by that thrice-damned seal that keeps me here! I have had no negative contact with your chakra, none that would cause your system to react like this. It is your **_**own **_**chakra that is doing this to you. Did you not feel it awaken?"**

Naruto blinked. "Wait, so you're not the outside chakra source that's causing my heart problems?" He scratched his head. "Then what could have…hey, what do you mean by "awaken"? What happened?"

"**How should I know?" **The fox grumbled. **"Days ago your chakra just suddenly spiked. A new chakra's invaded this place. It's…strange. Like nothing I've seen before. It's hiding somewhere here, too. I wonder why?" **The Kyuubi mused, lost in thought.

Naruto barely comprehended the last part of the Kyuubi's speech. All he knew was the Kyuubi had nothing to do with the messing of his chakra. The Kyuubi, monster of demons, hadn't even known what happened. A "new" chakra had entered his body and was causing lapses in his heart. And it was…hiding?

_This has suddenly gotten a whole lot more complicated._

**TBC**

(**A/N: **And the plot thickens! Yeah, this is about to get more complex. Bear with me! :)

Sorry this is so short. Real life is very busy, and there's lots do to all the time. But rest assured, I will have a conclusion up here! (Eventually..)

Please REVIEW! My regular reviewers have been totally awesome, and you have them to thank for my motivation. Thanks, reviewers!)

**Review Responses:**

**Amber Ice Fox: **Thanks :) Is it really that hard to imagine Naruto singing? *Imagines it and sniggers* Never mind. You're right XD

**KaliAnn: **Yeah, Dimitri isn't the nicest of guys. Just as a hint: this whole Fuuinjutsu thing is going to get a lot more interesting :)

**KiaraBakuraArcane: **Thank you! :D Also, you're one of the only ones who responded to the crossover thing, thanks for that too! I'm reposting this story as a crossover as soon as it's finished.

**notgonnasay09: **Hehe *scratches head nervously* no, you're right. I was going with the mentality of "get it written and make it relevant" that previous chapter. I wasn't really paying attention to the flow. Thanks for the feedback; hopefully I'll be able to make the rest of the chapters better.

**Kronos Titan of Time: **Thanks, the interaction was killing me! I'm glad you think I got it right :) Also, there is more to the sealing techniques than what is shown. It's all going to tie in soon. Although, your guessing is definitely on the right track. Am I really that predictable? XD

**Kidan Yoshilda: **And that was what was going on with the others :) You actually gave me the idea to stick that in, thanks! :D Again, the story is getting reposted as a crossover when it's finished so everyone gets a chance to read it. Thank you for your review!


	13. Chapter 12: To Go On

(**A/N: **Here we go with another chapter. Sorry for the long wait, how long has it been? Two years? Yikes. Does anyone even still remember this story? School _killed _me, I'm sure you all know how that goes. That's getting really redundant, huh? I'm so sorry, guys! Life gets in the way of fanfiction sometimes. A note on the story too: in light of all the _crazy _stuff that's been going on in the manga right now (No spoilers, don't worry), all the things I'd planned for this story are now not very canon-relevant. I'd originally wanted to pause this until the manga finished (I have a feeling that's going to be soon) so that I could make this more canon-friendly. I do know that it's a gigantically ridiculous AU anyway, but I do want to make it relevant where it counts. So, yeah. Any opinions on that? I'll go with what you guys want in this case.

Thanks to the alerters: **Twinredmoons**, **blackdragonfire**, **shadowslyrics,** **Vangran soel15**, **Vanex**, **Megan B. Strange** **YellowFlash67, Villain84 Beta 01, ** **Ellen Walker, Generalhyna, **and **Sasunaru-Everblue**. Also the favoriters: **mike morgan**, **Alice**** of Human Sacrifice YellowFlash67, Villain84 Beta 01, Generalhyna, ****Sasunaru-Everblue, gundamzbd36, **and **Secret Lullaby of Death**. Finally, the wonderful reviewers: **KaliAnn, Kidan Yoshilda, notgonnasay09, KiaraWangWilliams,** **Kronos Titan of Time **,**Uzumaki Crossover Kyuubi's BFF, Megan B. Strange **,**YellowFlash67, Sasunaru-Everblue, **and **littlechick2013**.Many thanks, reviews are very motivating! Sorry if they're anyone I forgot to mention, let me know if I forgot you! Thank you so much for your patience!

**NOTE**: I have put up a _poll _on my profile so that you guys can pick what pairings you want for the sequel of this story. I only have Naruto with people, and am thinking of building up the others from who Naruto ends up with. For the poll choices, I have basically paired Naruto up with almost every woman in the series; just to give you guys some variety :) I will be quite surprised if some of the not-so-serious choices win.

If you dislike my choices and have one of your own, or if you wish your favorite character to end up with someone specific, just let me know. I honestly don't really care who ends up with whom and will go with popular demand. So please take a second to vote.

Well, after that rather long author's note, let's get to the story!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto or Anastasia. But I _do _own a lovely silver Sony Vaio laptop. Oh yes. :)

**^^^indicates scene change^^^**

**Bold indicates Kyuubi talking**

_Italics __indicate thoughts_

Once Upon a December: Uzumaki Style!

Chapter 12: To Go On

Naruto was frozen in place, staring into the Nine Tailed Fox's cage without really seeing its occupant. His thoughts were overloading in his mind, each trying to assimilate into a coherent conclusion. This was just great. It wasn't the setback that he'd expected; it wasn't the Kyuubi giving him trouble, so he didn't know how to deal with it.

Should he wait until he saved his friends before trying to take care of it? Probably, yes. But he would have to act quickly. He had wasted too much time already. Naruto came to a sudden, grim decision that he had to leave _as soon as possible_. Horrible visions of his friends in pain flashed in his mind. Naruto grimaced as he realized that this training, or whatever, he was doing wasn't worth it right now. Clan jutsu or not, it could be learnt again later. He might not get such a second chance with his comrades.

And since Dimitri and Vlad would not let him go, he would have to leave on his own. His injuries were mostly healed, so he could escape easily enough. A small flare of guilt welled up in his heart as he thought of all the hard work they'd put in making him stronger, but he squashed it out unmercifully. Naruto could always come back. He always repaid his debts. And he would promise to return, learn his birthright, and teach Dimitri that ninja could be honorable. Rasputin aside, he had no excuse at all to stay and learn at such an inconvenient time. Plus, his friends were his priority, so he was doing the right thing.

Right?

"**Have your non-existent brain cells finally deserted you?" **Sneered the Kyuubi, seemingly unconcerned that his host had zoned out on him. His tone suddenly became more menacing. **"Child, you had better right what is going wrong with your chakra." **The Kyuubi growled, glaring at Naruto with his huge, red eyes. ** "Or so help me, if it gets me killed, I will consume your weak body and rip your entrails up and eat them in front of you while your heart is still beating. Are we clear?"**

Naruto snorted. He'd heard all that before and it failed to impress him. "Could you maybe, uh, _help _me do that? If this is such a threat, couldn't the all-powerful Nine-Tailed Fox get rid of it?"

The Kyuubi, predictably, erupted in a rage again. **"You WORM! Nobody orders me around! Do you know what you are getting into? I could crush you like a bug! I could make you experience pain beyond everything you have ever felt before! Your Fourth Hokage's **_**cursed **_**seal keeps me from interfering with anything out of this cage. He has effectively damned you by keeping me from helping you!"**

Naruto rolled his eyes. "You're such a drama queen, you know that? And that isn't going to work, because I am not letting you out of your cage. I'm going to fix this myself, kay? Just sit tight and I'll make it all better!"

In truth, Naruto wasn't half as confident as he sounded, but he had to keep his spirits up. Plus, it was just to fun to piss the fox off like that. To his amusement, the fox just seemed to get more enraged than before, and started thrashing around in his cage, yelling for Naruto's immediate dismemberment and demise. Really, and they said _he _had a short fuse. Sheesh.

That aside, things were getting worse and worse and he just about couldn't stand it anymore. This harsh slap of reality had brought him back out of his confused funk. The recent events were jumbled up in the back of his mind, but the news of impending doom for both him and his friends was a real wake- up call.

He was going to escape, and he was going to save his friends. No matter what it took.

**^^^ scene change^^^**

"Naruto! Kid! Can you hear me?"

Naruto blinked slowly. His mouth felt like it was made of sandpaper. "Wha…?"

A hand was poking at his cheek. "Vlad, I think he's awake! You're right, he _is _getting better." There was a small sigh, then Dimitri began to talk directly to him. "Ya know, kid, I am getting _way _too used to this. You pass out a lot."

Naruto coughed. "I can't help it, jerk." He whispered harshly, rubbing his raw throat. "What ha-" A chocked cough interrupted the rest of his sentence.

"Whoa, take it easy." Gentle hands touched his neck, and Naruto heard the telltale sound of the green healing chakra. Suddenly, his harsh breaths calmed down into long, even ones and he could speak properly again. He gasped out, and sat up abruptly.

Vlad started, removing his hands from Naruto's throat. "Naruto! What did I say about taking it easy?" Naruto ignored him, staring at his surroundings. He was in the middle of their impromptu training field. The sun was working its way down the sky, staining it in reds and oranges, but he hardly noticed the sight. He glanced down at his trembling body. _Weak again. _He thought with disgust.

He glanced down to his right arm. To his shock, smoke was coiling up his hand. He brought up the trembling appendage and saw that it was covered in burns-the very same burns he had acquired when he had fought Rasputin.

To say that Naruto was shocked would be a complete understatement. _What the heck is this?_ He thought in horror, examining his arm and staring at the freaky red-black splotches that covered it. _What…?_

Vlad seemed to note his shock and carefully tugged the arm away from Naruto's view, laying him back down on the floor. "Don't worry." He said amicably, smiling down at him. "You're going to be fine. Your heart just reacted under all the strain you put on it, that's all." He shook his head and sighed. "We've been working you too hard. I'm sorry."

"S'okay." Naruto croaked, slumping back down to the floor again with exhaustion. He lay splayed across the forest floor for a few more minutes, trying to ignore the recurring guilt that was currently throbbing at the back of his mind. They _had _held him here against his will. He did have the right to try to escape. It was simple as that. Then why did he feel like he was betraying their trust?

Naruto mashed his face into his fists. "Stupid emotions." He mumbled, completely frustrated. "Stupid binding promises. Stupid clan jutsu. Stu-"

"Naruto?" Vlad was looking at him with concern, probably for his sanity. "Did you say something?"

Naruto grinned, giving a small, embarrassed chuckle. "Nope." He croaked. "Could we stop for today? I'm feeling kinda tired." He was thanking his lucky stars now that these two didn't know him that well. If they did, they never would have believed he would actually say that.

Vlad nodded, going into "the careful doctor mode" in an instant. He hooked an arm under Naruto's shoulders and lifted him up, supporting his weight with his own strength. They'd learned the hard way that Naruto did _not _appreciate it when someone tried to carry him.

Dimitri, who'd remained uncharacteristically quiet up to this point, let out a huge sigh. "You _idiot_. Can we teach you anything without you nearly dying? Jeez, kid. It's a wonder you're still alive. You musta given your other teachers hell." He crossed his arms, giving him a mock-firm look. "You are getting double training of everything. Don't make stupid rookie mistakes anymore! Seriously!" He shook his head in exasperation.

Vlad held up his hands in placation, allowing Naruto to sag on his shoulder. "Calm down. He gets it." He gave Naruto a side glance, and looked back at the general direction of the house. "Let's get you back inside. You need some rest."

Naruto gave an almost imperceptible nod, hearing but not really listening to what was going on. _Damn the consequences_. He thought angrily. _Since when did I care about those anyway?_

Giving Vlad a small smile as not to rouse suspicion, Naruto's brain began to come up with plans of escape. Dimitri was trailing behind, grumbling about stupid kids and messing up simple jutsu and how this maybe wasn't worth his time anymore. _I need to get out of here. I'll come back later, but I need to leave. Now._

**^^^ scene change^^^**

Nighttime in the forest was very dark. Naruto had noticed that the first day he arrived. The trees were so immense, wide and thick that they blocked out any light source the night sky had to offer. Stars were reduced by about three-quarters of their number, and the moon was only seen when it was full, and on a lucky day. The lack of light was one of the things that differentiated it so much from the village of Konohagakure, which was always open to the night sky in its urban areas. One of Naruto's favorite pastimes, in warmer weather, was to just lie down on the roof of his apartment building and stare at the stars until he fell asleep. However, the dark was a ninja's ally in almost every way possible. It blanketed movements and provided the perfect cover for hiding. In the dark, other senses were activated and used to their best capacity. Ninja didn't require eyesight to function, which made them unique from those who weren't trained in the art of stealth.

Which was the reason why Naruto decided to split that night.

Dimitri and Vlad, being untrained ninja, had no chance of catching him. They also wouldn't expect him to try and escape after a near-death experience, if they thought he would try and escape at all. This would be a cinch.

Still, Naruto's couldn't help feeling guilty as he packed his belongings, as well as "borrowing" some supplies he might need. He even stuffed his notes on Fuuinjutsu into his backpack after some hesitation, thinking they might come in handy. He hurriedly scrawled an "IOU" to Vlad and Dimitri, noting that he would be back before they knew it. After double-checking he had everything he needed, plus a good amount of bandages and antiseptic (he'd learned his lesson) Naruto finally headed out to the door. He sucked in a deep breath, cast one last shamefaced look at the small house and stepped outside. _I'm coming guys_. _Hang on_.

He didn't look back.

**^^^ scene change^^^**

"Do you guys understand?"

Kakashi made sure to give his students the best "I'm-being-serious" glare he could manage. "We've only got one shot at this." He declared. "If you want to get out of here in one piece, we've got to get it right the first time."

The kids nodded, faces clearly showing a fearful determination. Sasuke looked paler than usual and Sakura wasn't looking like much at all, clearly unused to situations like these. And the whole situation seemed strangely lacking without the third member of the team, current whereabouts: unknown.

_What a mess_. He thought wearily. _How could I let it get this bad?_

It certainly didn't help that they were being held by a freaking lunatic. Lunatics were unpredictable as well as frightening, so from a tactical standpoint they were at a definite disadvantage.

But…

They did have one advantage. And that was the advantage Kakashi was banking on, the one he was utilizing to help him and his team escape.

The advantage? To put it mildly: brains.

From what Kakashi could figure out, their zombie-guards were...not quite there in terms of intellectual prowess. Sure, they could do the basic stuff (walk, move, communicate) but they didn't seem to be capable of more than that. Some were smarter than others, but this lot weren't the brightest of the bunch. Which sucked for entertainment value, but was great for this plan.

He heard the footsteps leading up to their location before Sakura's sharp intake of breath gave it away. Kakashi tensed, muscles bunching up against the wall, and let his head drop against his chest.

The footsteps grew closer, echoing along the walls, and Kakashi grinned.

_Showtime_.

**^^^ scene change^^^**

Naruto had wandered around the forest for four hours before working up the courage to admit to himself a few important facts. Firstly, that he had no idea where he was supposed to go. Second, it didn't matter because he was lost anyway.

Naruto sighed, pulling his kunai out and marking a tree in an effort to mark his path. _Why do they have to live in the middle of nowhere? _He thought bitterly. _I don't know where I am now_.

Currently, he had a vague plan to get back to the capital, inform the government and possibly…request backup? Who knew how much time that would take, though? Time that his friends might not have.

Naruto's heart gave a small throb, reminding him that his friends weren't the only one with a timeframe. _Shit_.

He knelt on the ground, waiting for the pain to ebb away. While he'd always hoped for a noble death, he hadn't wanted it to be this soon. But he didn't have a choice. It was either going to be him or his friends. He probably didn't have time to call for backup and didn't know how much strain he could take anyway. No. His friends had to come first. He'd make it up as he went along.

Now, though…

Naruto dug his fingers into the soft, grassy soil, hauling himself up carefully. Now, he was going to find the capital, send for help, and then set off to find his friends. Hopefully, help would reach them while he was in the rescue process. And if he didn't make it there, his friends still had a chance.

Plan decided on, Naruto took another breath and plowed on, searching for any familiar landmark he could find. He deposited the kunai in his pack as he went, and then slipped his hands in his pockets with a shudder that was only partly due to cold.

His hands brushed against something small. Frowning, Naruto pulled it out and stared. His mother's key. Huh.

Naruto frowned further as he marched on. What could that be for? What could this possibly open? What would be so important that his mother had made sure he could get this? And _what _had she apologized for? Did it have anything to do with what was going on now?

It was like there were a bunch of puzzle pieces floating around in his brain. He _knew _he had all the pieces to make a complete picture; but he didn't know how to fit them all together.

That would have to come later. _My team first_. Naruto told himself firmly. _The rest later_.

And so he went on.

**^^^ scene change^^^**

"Dimitri!"

"What?"

"Naruto's gone."

A startled gasp. "_What?"_

"He left this note. I don't know what to make of it…in his condition…"

"_Vlad_. How did he leave so easily? _Why_ would he?"

"I would think that obvious."

"Well, _yes, _but…"

"He says he'll come back. I trust him but I worry…just _what _are you doing?"

"We're going to look for him."

"_What_? _Why?_"

"I would think that obvious."

"Dimitri…calm down a minute. I'm not so sure about this anymore. He's so young, after all. I don't want to force him to do anything he doesn't have to."

"No. I've put too much into this. So have you. I can't have him die on us. Or run away or anything."

"…"

"What _now?_"

"You seem worried."

"…Shut up." Eyes rolled at the disbelieving look. "I am, okay? Something's going on here, and I want everything to work out fine for all of us in the end. Plus, Naruto's special, somehow. I want to help this kid. He's not too bad."

A short silence. "I know."

"Then what are you waiting for? Come on."

**^^^ scene change^^^**

Kakashi tensed, drawing a foot back. The green-faced zombie ambled over slowly, stopping in front of him and bending down to deposit an apple on the ground. He stood up just as slowly and turned around…

Kakashi released his foot in a sharp kick, sending the apple into the darkness of the room with a loud sound as it hit metal.

The zombie turned around and ambled towards the sound, squinting suspiciously. That was why it didn't notice Sasuke and Sakura, already in position, stretching out their chains so they crossed perpendicularly.

The zombie went down with a crash. Kakashi smiled. "Too easy."

**^^^ scene change^^^**

Rasputin hummed. "It's happening." He trilled, clasping his hands together. "It's all coming to a head. Just like I thought it would."

He nudged Bartok in a rare fit of good humor. "Didn't I tell you? Oh, this is going to be fabulous!"

The bat started out into the distance, revealing nothing.

**TBC**

(**A/N: **So sorry that nothing more substantial happened, I'm still setting this up properly. The climax will be reached within a couple of chapters. I really am considering putting it up on hold until the manga's end. It just feels more right to do so. I hope you guys enjoyed this! Reviews are always appreciated, constructive criticism is welcomed! Thanks again for your patience!)

**Review Responses:**

**KaliAnn: **I don't think Tsunade will be intervening any time soon, but Naruto looks like he's got somewhat of a plan

**Kidan Yoshilda: **Thanks for the suggestion, I'll look into that. I've never seen Quest for Camelot but it seems interesting. Thanks again for your help!

**notgonnasay09: **I'd tell you, but I don't want to give anything away. Thanks for reviewing!

**KiaraWangWilliams: **Yes, it will Thanks for the review!

**Kronos Titan of time: **Man, I've got to take a look at your fics. I'll do it as soon as I can. Yup, Naruto is going to be dwelling on the fact that everyone has lied to him. That's a given. And I would love to squeeze in some omakes when I have time, so thanks for the ideas! The whole chakra thing is going to have an explanation, and while you are not quite there you are definitely going in the right direction. Thank you so much for reviewing, again I'll look at your fics ASAP

**Uzumaki Crossover: **Thanks And you're going to have to wait and see, I'm afraid.

**Kyuubi's BFF: ***salutes* Sir, yes, sir! I hope you liked this

**Megan B. Strange: **Thank you very much! That means a lot to me I'm glad you're enjoying this!

**YellowFlash67: **Thank you! That's giving the ending away, so I can't tell you that. But hopefully it will be revealed soon!

**Sasunaru-Everblue: **Thanks for reviewing! I'll try to get the rest of this up as soon as I can.

**littlechick2013: **Haha, thanks Glad you liked it


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